


The Dragon's Quest

by thecarlonethatalsowrites



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, F/F, faunus/human tension, its a high fantasy au, strangers to reluctant allies to friends to lover, there is also a dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 56,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecarlonethatalsowrites/pseuds/thecarlonethatalsowrites
Summary: Yang Xiao Long has a reputation as the fearsome Dragon Knight of Vale. She’s also been missing in action following the death of Good King Ozpin. After a long recovery, she sets out on a quest for justice. It is no easy path, so she recruits the help of Blake Belladonna, a mage with more secrets than friends. With more in common than they realize, Blake and Yang join forces to help Remnant limp back to stability once again.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 18
Kudos: 127
Collections: Bumbleby Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my submission for the Bumbleby Big Bang! It's been in the works for a while and I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you all. Hope you enjoy, and please check out the wonderful art my partner made for it!!! https://cowboyoscarpine.tumblr.com/post/634278800031694849/happy-bumbleby-big-bang-day-bumblebybigbang

The evening mist swirled around Blake’s ankles as she navigated through the darkening forest. It was only thick enough to obscure a few inches above the forest floor, but that was enough to force Blake to place each step carefully. The last thing she needed was to break an ankle in some kind of animal burrow. She ducked under a low branch that swept down to snag any unsuspecting travelers. It was times like this she was extra grateful for her sharp vision. She’d left behind the only pinpricks of light for miles when she set out from the village she’d been loitering in. She didn’t fear the dark, but the forest was still dangerous. Best to waste the long hours before her meeting behind the safety of walls.

She allowed her cloak to drag against the dead leaves on the forest floor as she navigated through the darkness, signalling her presence so as to not end up accidentally impaled because she snuck up on the person she was meeting with. Her tracking spell said she was close. The sliver of iron floating above her open palm quivered, correcting every tiny misstep in Blake’s path. Any minute now, she would stumble upon the meeting place.

“Neat trick.” Blake didn’t jump at the disembodied voice that came from behind her, but her heart hammered in her chest. The iron in her hand started spinning wildly, warning her she was almost on top of her quarry. “Where’d you learn that one?”

“Around,” she said, fighting to keep her voice steady. She closed her hand around the piece of iron, cutting off the spell before tucking it away into a pouch at her belt. The movement allowed her to hide the way her hand trembled within her cloak. Her breath came in short gasps as she fought to project an aura of calm. “Why don’t you come out so we can talk face to face.”

“Just like the good old days, huh?” A girl Blake’s age all but melted out of the darkness. Her trick was not magic, and thus Blake couldn’t sense it. She had one hand on the hilt of a dagger, and her clothes were sturdy but ragged. She looked half-feral, and Blake blinked in surprise to see her face was bare of any mask.

“That’s why you agreed to meet me, wasn’t it, Ilia?” The girl’s pale blue eyes narrowed.

“I haven’t decided if it was a mistake yet,” Ilia said. “What do you want?”

“Information I know you have,” Blake said. In her head, she was frantically calculating. It was beyond risky contacting her old friend, and Ilia’s lack of a mask put her both at ease and on edge. She could be showing Blake a moment of solidarity, an ode to their long past together. It could also mean that she had no way of helping Blake. “I know nothing is the same anymore, but can we put aside the animosity between us? Just for a few minutes, so neither of us has to worry about getting stabbed in the back.”

“I’m not  _ that _ notorious a backstabber,” Ilia complained. Her hand fell from her weapon and she took another step forward. Her expression was guarded, but no longer hostile. Well, less hostile than it could be.

“Considering our record, I’m the one you should worry about,” Blake said, a poor attempt at a joke. The corner of Ilia’s mouth ticked up anyway.

“How can I help?” she asked, getting straight to the point. Blake’s shoulders slumped as some of the tension drained out of her. This was already going better than she expected.

“I’m looking for him. I know you know where he is.” The freckles on Ilia’s cheeks flared a bright red.

“Shit, Blake. You’re still on this?”

“I never stopped. How could I, after everything that he did?” Ilia dropped her gaze. She reached across her body to grab her elbow with her opposite hand.

“You’re lucky you got out when you did. It’s only gotten worse,” she said.

“Which is why he needs to be stopped,” Blake insisted. “If you tell me what you know, we can part ways and never see each other again. He won’t know what you did. At least, he won’t be around to retaliate.”

“You sound too much like him,” Ilia said. “It’s terrifying.”

“At least I haven’t toppled whole kingdoms,” Blake shot back. She forced herself to take a deep breath. Her emotions were getting the best of her in a situation where she couldn’t afford to let that happen. “Please, Ilia. You know as much as I do he needs to be stopped before this gets any worse.”

“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t help you anyway,” Ilia said. She turned herself away from Blake ever so slightly, eyes glazing over with memories. “I left after what happened at Beacon and tried to get as far away as I could. I have no idea where he is or where he’s going.”

“Beacon wasn’t all that long ago. You have to at least have a sense of where he was heading.”

Ilia shook her head. “Not one you haven’t hunted down already. Please, Blake. Let it go, or you’ll end up just as obsessed as he is.” There was a time where Ilia would have stepped forward and taken Blake’s hands as she implored her not to do something sensationally dumb. Now, the distance she kept made tears prick at Blake’s eyes.

“The violence has to stop,” Blake croaked, even though she knew it wouldn’t do any good. She resisted the urge to wipe her eyes. Going into this, she knew it wasn’t going to be an easy meeting. A part of her understood Ilia’s reluctance to get involved even peripherally. Blake herself wouldn’t be doing this if she had any other choice. Not wanting to draw out her pain any longer, Blake turned to leave. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to help. I’ll figure something out on my own.”

“Wait!” Ilia called out as Blake took her first step back toward the village, freezing her in place. “I...I meant what I said about not knowing anything personally. And I’m not going to send you after him alone. That would be suicide.” Blake didn’t turn back around, but she didn’t make any further move to leave.

“What can you give me if not what I ask for?” she asked. She heard the crunch of leaves as Ilia dug her toe in the dirt, the same nervous habit she had since they were kids.

“You’re not the only one looking for revenge. And some of those people are pretty powerful.”

“I’m not going to sell my soul for this. Not any more than I already have to.”

“There might be a way you won’t have to,” Ilia said. “A little over a month ago, a knight rode through here looking for the same thing you are. She seemed pretty hellbent on her quest, but she stopped long enough to help clear the woods of a nasty Grimm infestation. Anyone who would put such a hold on their quest can’t be that bad.”

“Who was she?” Blake asked, spinning back around. She forced down her impatience. Ilia was giving her good information, even if she was dancing around the subject.

“I don’t know her name, but she was from Vale traveling with three other knights; two also from Vale, one from Mistral. There was a rose emblem on her shield.” Blake’s ears perked up. She’d heard of a knight by this description before in connection to another, much less subtle knight following her trail. Ilia claimed the Rose Knight had at least three companions. By the time Blake got to her, she might have four. Now that would be an alliance she was interested in. She might run into problems if they were the less forgiving type, but from what Ilia was saying they seemed like her best bet.

“Where are they now?” Ilia’s expression turned bashful.

“I’m not really sure. Had to skip town while they were here, and I only heard about her secondhand.” Blake growled and took a step forward. She should have guessed she was being led on. Ilia’s hand went back to her dagger and she glared fiercely at Blake, telling her to back off. Blake was at her mercy if she wanted any information. She forced her posture to relax, not wanting a fight unless Ilia didn’t give her the choice. “I know someone who will know for sure where she’s going. She has eyes and ears everywhere and knows everything that goes on in Mistral. You can find her east of Higanbana. Her bandits like to hit the villages and travelers around there.”

A bandit leader. Blake supposed it would make sense for her to know the location of a band of high profile knights. Better for business that way. Once she got back to the village, Blake would confirm everything Ilia said about the knight. If that was all true, the rest of her information would likely be as well.

“Thank you,” Blake said sincerely. “For everything. I’ll get out of your hair now. You won’t ever have to see me again.”

“They say her forest is cursed, you know,” Ilia called after her as she started to leave again. “Her bandits wear the mist like a cloak, and anyone who’s not them doesn't come out if they try to do the same.” Blake’s hand curled into a fist under her cloak, magic sparking off of her knuckles.

“I’ll take my chances,” she said before striding off into the night.

* * *

A gentle knight picked her way through the forest, riding easily on a chestnut steed. Her golden armor reflected the sun shining through the leaves above. A travel-stained purple cloak was attached to her pauldrons and flowed over her horses back. The road she traveled on was long, made longer by the fact she knew not her destination. Mistral was a large kingdom, and the person she was looking for could be anywhere.

Having arrived on these shores just a few weeks ago, Yang was astounded just how different Mistral was from her home. Back in Vale, even a knight as renowned as she was accosted by the dangers that had so recently overtaken her kingdom. There were difficulties here, the occasional Grimm or bandit, but nothing to the degree of a kingdom thrown into anarchy. It reminded her of home before everything went to shit.

Her experience in Mistral was what she expected the life of a knight to be. The life she only experienced for a few short months before everything was ruined. Recognizable as she was, the people here already picked up her motif and carried on her nickname from home; The Dragon Knight. Wearing the fierce face of the enemy, Yang served the people by fighting Grimm for them from the moment she arrived. The monsters were Mistral’s biggest problem. Protecting people from Grimm was what Yang was trained to handle. And so, she did.

Now, though, was one of those long stretches of time where the weather was calm and the roads were clear. It was boring, really. The good weather and her rapid progress put her in too much of a good mood to attract any Grimm. A year ago, Yang would have been driven to tears by boredom. Would have rushed on to the next town until both she and her horse were lathered with sweat, not bothering to enjoy the peace of the day while it lasted.

“Besides,” she said to her horse, cresting a hill. “We still got to the next village before dark.” Her voice echoed inside of her helmet. Even on a nice day like this, she could still be caught off guard with her visor up. She could still see the straight lines of the village breaking up the forest ahead. She sat up straighter in the saddle. It would be nice to sleep in a bed for once, providing there was an open one. The chances were good. She doubted the inn was full, since few dared to travel these days. Vale’s fate was fresh on everyone’s minds.

Yang urged Bumblebee into a trot. Evening was creeping in, and with it came hints of mist, and both horse and rider eager for the comforts of civilization. A roof over their heads, and maybe an artificer. Her right arm felt heavy, though she’d gotten it tuned up before she left Vale. She’d rather not trust the delicate mechanisms to a stranger, but the wear of travel didn’t let her be picky.

The village had a low, sturdy wall surrounding architecture she became familiar with through her travels; sliding doors and stark white walls capped with dark roofs of overlapping tile. The problems were the same here, but Yang couldn’t let herself forget she was in a foreign kingdom. The noise she made changed as they passed through the gate. Bumblebee’s hooves clopped against cobblestone, adding to the jangle of Yang’s armor and his tack. She slowed their pace once they were in the town, not wanting to trample anyone.

As the only one on horseback, she was easily the tallest person in the crowd. Even if she wasn’t, she’d still be the most noticeable. The people here wore simple clothes. Few wore armor. And no one anywhere wore armor like Yang’s. People burst into whispers as she passed, the profile of her helm unmistakable.

“...one of Vale’s most promising knights…”

“...heard she was young…”

“...cutting a swathe through the Grimm from the coast…”

Yang grinned as she overheard the last one. Her fearsome reputation preceded her, then. Word truly did travel fast, especially since she was gaining renown in this kingdom.

“Excuse me,” she said to the nearest peasant. “Does this town have an inn? Or a tavern? I’ll take a tavern.”

“We have an inn, Lady,” the man said. He gave her directions and she thanked him by hitting her chest with her fist in a clanging salute.

She dismounted in front of one of the few buildings that had more than one story in town. Light and laughter spilled out from the open windows, but Yang brought Bumblebee to the stable in the back. She implored the groom to take good care of him and it would be worth his trouble. Judging by the swaybacked animals in the stable, even at her least generous she could tip better than everyone else combined. 

The tavern fell quiet as she entered, cloak fluttering behind her. The ceiling was crossed with rough, exposed beams, and the walls were hastily painted over with white plaster. It definitely wasn’t a fine establishment, but there was a roaring fire in a hearth and ale flowing freely from behind the bar. Many pairs of eyes stared at her as she crossed the room over to an empty stool at the bar. It creaked under her weight and she tried to ignore the feeling of being off balance as she removed her helmet. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her back, and she gave her head a shake to free it further. She breathed deeply, and though the air smelled of sweat and ale it was fresher than she’d breathed all day.

“I’ll take something to eat and drink,” she said to the tavern owner, setting her helm and coin on the bar. He scrambled to fulfill her request. 

Yang glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the room. A few whispers had broken out, but for the most part it was still silent. This place hadn’t seen many knights. By the looks of a group of armed and rough-looking fighters, much of their safety came from mercenary protection. Yang raised her tankard to the nearest group of mercs when it arrived.

“To your health and prosperity.” She drank. The room relaxed. A few of the rasher mercenaries dropped their hands from their weapons now they knew she wasn’t here to steal their work. 

Talk resumed, and Yang set upon her meal; greasy stew with a thick heel of bread. It was delicious, and, more importantly, piping hot. Her arm creaked as she moved it, a sure sign it was in need of attention. Hopefully, the noise would be covered by her armor. She was still under scrutiny, despite appearances. Her ears stayed open to survey them right back

“So that’s the famous Dragon Knight, huh?” one of the mercenaries was saying. “She’s shorter than I expected.”

“Be glad you get to see her at all,” someone else said. “She’s been missing since the death of King Ozpin. People were starting to think she died in the assault on Beacon City.” 

Yang’s left hand shook, and she clenched her fist to still it. They weren’t wrong about her being absent recently. This quest was her first venture from her childhood home since her king was murdered and she wounded. With great self-control, she focused back on her meal. Mercenaries had the best gossip, even if they were the rudest people Yang had ever met. They weren’t worth her time trying to beat some respect into.

When she finished, she caught the attention of the tavern keeper. “Do you have any rooms available?”

“How long are you looking to stay?”

“Just the night. I need to move along. Unless you have an artificer in town.”

“My apologies, there’s no artificer. We used to go to the next town just a day from here, but they ain’t been friendly as of late.” Yang quirked an eyebrow at the information.

“Why’s that?” She asked. The tavern owner shrugged.

“Who knows why the Faunus do anything. Anyway, it’s two gold for a private room.” Yang winced and handed over the coin. He was surely gouging her, as everyone did. She was a stranger, and one of means. She couldn’t find it in her heart to be annoyed. Times were difficult for everyone, and if her financial support could help, Yang was obliged to give it. Plus, she truly did not want to sleep on the ground for another night.

Besides, the information he gave her was more than worth the price. On top of keeping her ear to the ground for any leads on her own quest, Yang had been listening for any word of Faunus/Human relations. Her own kingdom was an example of the bitter contention between the two boiling over, but Mistral hadn’t seemed too bad. Granted, there were fewer Faunus here than any of the other kingdoms. With a kingdom of their own so close, many Faunus chose to live amongst themselves, where they wouldn’t be discriminated against because of who they were.

“I’ll have your bags brought up for you,” the owner said before moving on to help the next customer.

Yang turned around and leaned back, resting her elbows on the bar. As long as she was here, it couldn’t hurt to see if she could find out any information about her main objective. Anything was helpful to help her get a feel for Mistral and how best she could help the people, but there was a specific reason she was here beyond doing her duty as a knight.

She scanned the room, catching a few people looking away quickly when her gaze fell on them. They were staring at her, no doubt about it. Well, Yang considered herself to be a woman of the people. Time to live up to that. 

“Ladies. Gentlemen,” she said, approaching the mercenaries she was eavesdropping on earlier. “I was wondering if you could help me out.”

“Would you look at that. A highborn looking for help from us lowly peasants,” said a man with thick forearms and heavy scars. “Get lost. We know you’re here to steal our work all in the name of some misguided code.”

“That’s not why I’m here.” The entire table scoffed.

“Even if it isn’t, people’ll flock to you instead of us to fix their problems,” an older woman with half her head shaved said. “It’s best if you move along.” 

Yang held back a sigh of frustration. “I’m only here for one night, and if you can answer a question, I’ll be on my way sooner.”

“What part of “get lost” don’t you understand?” The first man said.

“I hear you gotta deny these knight-types three times before they get the message,” one of the others snickered. He looked barely Yang’s age underneath the grime caked into his skin and gear. “Something about their diet. Chives and brie, I think.”

“Shut up. You should do less thinking,” snapped the first man.

Yang rolled her eyes and backed away as the group started teasing their companion. Whatever they knew, they weren’t willing to share. A shame, really. Yang didn’t get far enough in the conversation to tell if they had any relevant knowledge. Being a foreign knight sure was annoying sometimes. Many people didn’t like the idea of folks coming from far away to butt their heads places they didn’t belong. Maybe there was someone else here who was more useful. This town was the only civilization for miles, so while hoping for other strangers was a long shot, it wasn’t impossible. And perhaps the more ordinary citizens knew something.

As she looked around for a friendlier face, a chill ran down her spine. She blinked hard, recognizing the presence of magic. Few other people in this room had enough experience to pick it out, but it was definitely here. Yang couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before. Looking harder for the source, she noticed a shadowed corner her eyes had skipped over before. Aware as she was, it was still difficult to focus on it. Yang grinned. Simple an illusion it may be, in such a town anyone with the skill to weave themselves privacy was potentially useful to Yang.

She made her way to the shrouded corner. When she came within a few feet, she shuddered. Passing through the illusion was like walking through a waterfall. It was unnatural, and her instinct wanted to turn away. She mastered herself and continued. One more step was all it took until she was through.

It was a simple enough illusion, more likely to go unnoticed. The corner was brighter and more occupied than it first appeared. There was a small table wedged out of the way and a cowled stranger sat with their back against the wall.

“Did the illusion not give you the hint? I’d like my privacy,” said a low female voice. The hood of her cloak was drawn so that her face was hidden in shadow, but it couldn’t hide long black hair that curled over her shoulders.

“Sincerest apologies, my Lady,” Yang said with a bow. “Few people are able to weave such a powerful and subtle illusion. I couldn’t help but notice.”

“Few people should be able to notice.” The scowl was clear in her words. “I won’t fall for your honeyed compliments. Speak plainly and tell me why you approach.” She used no honorifics, but Yang plowed ahead.

“You seem to be the only one here with any worthwhile knowledge. This is a fact, Lady,” she said to soothe any feathers she may have ruffled with what could be perceived as a compliment. “I was wondering if you could help me. I’m looking for someone.”

“In this day and age? We all are,” the stranger said. “Go ask someone who cares.”

“That’s just it. No one does, nor do they have the power to leave this place. I assume you’re as much a stranger here as I am.”

“I don’t want the attention a knight in shining armor brings. I’d rather be on my own.” She raised her tankard to her hidden face. As if her dismissal wasn’t clear enough, she cleared her throat. “What are you still doing here?”

Yang bowed again and backed away through the illusion. Coerced help wasn’t useful, even if she’d wanted to coerce it. She could manage on her own, as the past few weeks proved. That didn’t stop her from feeling the bite of rejection. It was discouraging to see so much apathy. Reluctance to help a stranger was usually a sign of hopelessness at one’s own situation, a feeling she knew intimately. She wished she could help these people more directly than she already was.

Tired from her long day of travel, Yang didn’t seek out any more rejection. She trudged up the stairs to find her room. Things would look up in the morning. She had to believe that. It was the only thing keeping her going.


	2. Chapter 2

Yang awoke to a cold line of steel across her neck. She tensed, eyes fluttering with the effort of keeping them closed. Groggy from sleep, she desperately searched back through her memory, trying to remember where she was. Without any visual, it was difficult to place the lumpy bed under her back.

“I know you’re awake,” someone hissed. Yang felt their weight shift on the bed. They had one knee on the mattress. It was digging into Yang’s hip. “One wrong move and I slit your throat. Understand?”

“Perfectly,” she said, through gritted teeth. Being accosted in her bed really was too much. Lowlifes like this had become far too bold since King Ozpin died. He wasn’t even this region’s monarch, but Vale was a symbol to the whole world. Everything was going downhill without him there to guide the way.

Yang took a deep breath to calm herself from these thoughts. The movement of her chest made the thief press their weapon harder against her skin. Blood welled up from a tiny scratch and dripped to the mattress as Yang opened her eyes. She met the gaze of the thief, cold bluish-gray eyes boring into her own. She knew they turned from lilac to red; she didn’t have that much control over her rage.

“Excellent. Give me your purse and I’ll let you live. I assume you have a horse in the stable? I’ll be taking that, too,” she said. 

The thief eased the pressure on Yang’s throat ever so slightly, allowing her to sit up. Her blanket fell to her waist and she reached for the purse attached to her belt without breaking eye contact. Her movements were carefully watched. The thief wasn’t able to keep the surprise off her face at the sight of her right arm. From just above her elbow down, it was made of metal. Armored plating encased the delicate springs and levers that allowed her as much fine control as she had before. The whole thing was hooked up to her nervous system which allowed her to move it like a real arm. They may have been stuck up, but Atlesian artificers sure had their perks.

“Well well, I thought you were going to be harder to rob than this. But it looks like you aren’t untouchable after all,” the thief said, gesturing to her prosthetic. 

Yang undid her purse and handed it over. “Clearly I’m not.” As soon as it landed in her hands, the thief rocked back to keep Yang at arm’s length. 

“Let’s take a walk to your horse, shall we? Get up.” Her voice wavered ever so slightly, belaying her nerves. Rightfully so. Though the proof of Yang’s vulnerability was out in the open, she was still a trained knight with two perfectly functional hands. No matter what some might think.

Moving ever so slowly, Yang complied. Her sword was leaning against the foot of the narrow bed, but that knife was closer. The point nearly rested in the dip of her collarbone. Her armor was piled in the far corner, as Yang decided that a locked door was enough safety for her to go without. Her skin prickled with goosebumps without the warm blanket, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the window was wide open, letting in chilly dawn air. That must have been how the thief got in.

It wasn’t how she was leaving. She backed toward the door, gesturing with the hand that held Yang’s purse at the doorknob. “You can go first. We’ll show everyone just how great The Dragon Knight really is.”

“We will,” Yang said. “Do you know why they call me the Dragon Knight?” Confusion flashed across the thief’s face for a brief second before Yang burst into action. Faster than the thief could react, she took a deep breath and let her magic well up in her throat. She opened her mouth and breathed a gout of flame.

The thief cried out and leaped back to avoid getting her face burned off. Her grip loosened on the hilt of the knife. Yang reached up and grabbed the blade with her metal hand, unfazed by the sharp edge. She fumbled, fingers oddly numb as the knife slipped out of her grasp and clattered to the floor. Yang cursed under her breath and kicked it under the bed. 

Now the knife was out of the picture, they were on even ground. Yang stepped forward while the thief was still off-balance and headbutted her under the jaw hard enough to hear her teeth click. Then, she seized her by the arm. Once she had a firm grip, she hooked her foot around her ankle and tugged hard at the same time she pulled against her arm. The thief went down with Yang on top of her, one knee between her shoulder blades.

“It’ll take someone with more skill than you to touch me,” she said. To herself, she let out a small breath of relief. Even in this brief encounter, her hand’s reaction time was slow. She really needed to find someone to service it.

“That was a cheap trick. I hate magic.” The thief groaned and glared up at her out of the corner of her eye. Her skin changed color and Yang yelped, nearly losing her hold.

“You’re a Faunus!” She cried to the now red and yellow colored girl she had pinned to the floor. That was surprising, considering what the owner of this place told her last night. She supposed her camouflage abilities helped her blend in wherever she wanted.

“All the more justification to kill me,” she snarled. Yang rolled her eyes and reached for her saddlebags she stuffed under the bed.

“I'm not going to kill you for being a Faunus. Even though you tried to rob me.” Her hand closed around the length of rope attached to the outside of her bags.

“Says the knight from Vale. Don’t lie to me. I’d rather know my fate.” She had a point. It was the White Fang, a Faunus organization, that was behind the murder of King Ozpin.

“Your fate is I’m going to tie you up and take you to the constable.” Yang hauled her upright and made quick work of fulfilling the first part of her promise. There were those who would agree that revenge was righteous at this moment. Yang was not one of them. The Faunus did not act as one, so she wouldn’t treat them in such a way. “And I took an oath. Lying is not something I take kindly to.”

She set the thief on her bed while she donned her armor, making sure to keep a close eye and all weapons away from her. Not that she could move with how tight Yang trussed her up. Her skin eventually returned to a more human-looking brown, though she glared at Yang furiously.

“Are you going to walk on your own, or should I carry you?” Yang asked as she buckled on her sword and cloak. Her helmet went on next, hair tucked safely into it. She’d learned the hard way how shitty it was to have someone use her own hair against her, the same way she took down this thief.

“I’ll walk since you’re allowing me the dignity,” she said. Yang watched her struggle to sit up, knowing that any assistance would be met with hostility.

They left the room with Yang carrying her saddlebags over one shoulder and her other hand resting on the hilt of her sword. The thief walked in front of her. Without her arms free for balance, she treaded carefully on the narrow, uneven steps.

The taproom was empty at this hour, and the streets were mostly the same. Only a few people were about, some of them staggering drunkenly home from wherever they passed out for the night. Yang didn’t need directions from them. The village was small enough that her destination was plain by the stocks in front of the building. They were empty at the moment, though probably wouldn’t be for long.

As they were crossing the courtyard toward the constable’s building, one of the drunks stumbled and fell into a barrel. Wood clattered against the cobblestone and he groaned, unmoving. Yang glanced from her captive to the man and made a split-second decision. Tied up, there was nothing the thief could do. A short delay wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“Are you alright, sir?” she asked. She helped him to his feet, keeping a firm hand around his arm in case he went toppling over again. “Let’s find someone to take you home.” She turned to look for someone who might have known him, only to freeze.

Her rope was cut to pieces on the ground. The thief was nowhere in sight. Yang growled in frustration, and anger heated her cheeks.

“Please, can you take me home?” The man groaned. “My head’s not right.” Yang breathed out sharply through her nose, tamping down her anger.

“Of course. Do you remember where it is?” She made an effort to control her voice, not letting any of her fury slip into it.

Yang brought the inebriated man home with admonitions to watch his drink next time. She made sure he got inside before slamming one fist into a pillar holding up the roof of his porch. Her eyes had been off the thief for one second. She couldn’t fathom how she got away. Carelessness, that was how. Yang couldn’t bring herself to regret her decision to help the drunk man, though it cost this town a captured outlaw. She lost a chance to be rehabilitated, but there was nothing that could be done. Yang’s quest didn’t allow time for her to hunt down petty thieves. Even if this failure would likely gnaw at her for days.

Returning to the tavern to retrieve Bumblebee, she tacked him up herself. It was still too early for the grooms to be awake. He sensed her agitation and shifted in his stall while she saddled him up. She couldn’t bring herself to admonish him. This was not shaping up to be a very good day. 

By the time she led Bumblebee out of his stall, the grooms were awake. They’d kept him in satisfactory condition overnight, so she flipped them a few silver lein on her way out. The town was starting to wake up, but Yang ignored their stares and whispers. Her quarry was not here and so it was time she moved on. She didn’t look back as she rode off into the sunrise.

* * *

The Dragon Knight was all too easy to follow. Her golden armor was like a beacon in this forest, and she never looked around for danger. Blake didn’t even need to use her magic to conceal herself as she followed from a distance. That massive horse she rode made more noise than an elephant, snapping branches left and right. Blake was not in any danger of losing the trail.

Near midday, the knight stopped. She dismounted and dug through her saddlebags. Blake watched from the trees as she and her mount settled down for a meal. Blake was hungry herself. The knight left too early for her to catch breakfast, and she was too interesting to let her slip away unquestioned. 

Blake reached for her provisions and winced when her elbow rustled the bush she was hiding behind. That announced her presence as sure as if she’d called out. She watched the knight intently, but she gave no sign that she heard. How had she made it this far without getting killed? She was the least adept survivalist Blake had ever shadowed.

“I know you’ve been following me since the village,” the knight said suddenly. Her voice was tinny from inside her helmet and Blake cursed to herself. She’d been too presumptuous, and now she was sure to be embarrassed. “Come out. I don’t mean you any harm.”

Making sure her hood disguised her face, Blake stepped from behind the bush. Her fearsome helmet masked her expression, but The Dragon Knight stepped back in surprise.

“So, I did interest you last night,” she said.

“Not last night.” She was already discovered. May as well tell the truth. “This morning.”

“You saw me nearly get robbed? That’s embarrassing.” The knight made no grab for her sword, though Blake held one dagger in a sweaty grip beneath her cloak.

“Why didn’t you dispense justice then and there? It was within your right, and as The Dragon Knight no one would dispute you,” Blake asked. She was glad the knight showed restraint, gladder still to see Ilia escape. But the knight intrigued her, and she had to have answers.

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” she said with a creaking shrug. “Besides, she didn’t try to kill me. Or, not very hard. I’m here, aren’t I? Besides, I promised I wouldn’t kill her, and I don’t break my promises.”

“So, you’re single-handedly trying to keep chivalry alive?” Blake’s eyebrows shot up as the knight doubled over with laughter. Her roaring scared a flock of birds, which took off from the trees with a few choice screams. Blake couldn’t see what was funny enough to warrant such a reaction.

“I’m trying, but it’s not a one-person job,” the knight said when she finally regained herself. “That’s why I’m trying to find help.”

“I’ve heard,” Blake murmured. The Dragon Knight’s quest was no secret. She was searching for another knight of Vale who was traveling through Mistral. A knight who wore a red cape and rose on her shield, just like out of a storybook.

“Who are you, if I may ask?” Blake started at the question, her grip sliding on her dagger. “You seem to have heard of me. Though, most people have.”

“I’m no one,” she said, keeping her voice even. It took some effort. This knight had a way of throwing her off her balance in an unprecedented way. Like seeing through her illusion when they first met last night. It felt like so long ago already. Blake didn’t like the feeling, and until she discovered why, she wanted to keep this knight as close as possible.

“Well, No One, how can I help you out? You followed me all this way for a reason, didn’t you?” The knight placed one hand on the hilt of her sword, but the movement was casual, not aggressive. She was falling into a comfortable posture. Blake had a feeling she’d know if the knight was going to attack. She paused, deliberating how she would respond.

“I’m...familiar with the situation in Vale. I heard of your quest before we met,” she started. “The person you’re trying to find has a similar goal as I do. I’ve been trying to track her down. And I have a lead.” She bit her tongue. No need to tell this knight her lead was possibly the most dangerous part of her quest. The more Blake thought about it, the less she liked the idea of facing down a curse without any back up.

“And you couldn’t have said so last night?” The knight asked, her voice laced with annoyance. Blake winced. It was the first time the knight spoke to her in a way that wasn’t tooth-achingly polite. She supposed it was warranted.

“I wasn’t sure if I could trust you,” she admitted. “But I think working together could be beneficial.” Slinking through the shadows was starting to get old. Besides the obvious reasons she needed her, if she was exposed as a Faunus, having a noble knight protector could help get her out of scores of troubles.

“What made you change your mind?” Blake deliberated her answer for a moment, hyper-aware of the tension between them the Dragon Knight had no way of knowing existed with Blake covering her ears. Her past with the White Fang wasn’t something she was proud of, but it was because of her efforts with them that the Faunus were so distrusted everywhere they went. In some ways, she deserved it. However, now that she was trying to make up for her mistakes, it wouldn’t do to fall in with someone who hated her for her very species.

“How you dealt with that thief,” she said, deciding that the truth wouldn’t hurt. “You’re different than I expected. Especially after what happened to your kingdom.” Many knights in her position would kill a Faunus thief on sight, no questions asked. Ilia was a fool to try and steal from her. A lucky, lucky fool.

“A lot of people have had their lives ruined. I don’t get a pass just because mine was.” The knight reached out to put a hand on her horse’s shoulder. She went quiet for a moment. The silence stretched until she cleared her throat. “Anyway, it sounds like we could really help each other. If you help me find The Rose Knight, I’ll keep you safe along the way and help you with your goal, too.”

“Oh, you think you’re here to keep me safe?” Blake laughed to throw her off her rhythm. “I just need an amiable person to draw attention away from me whenever we have to go to a town.”

“Yeah, the whole dark cowl thing is a little off-putting. You ever think you’d blend in better without it?”

“No.” The knight waited for her to elaborate. Blake did not. She sighed.

“Alright then. I was just about to move on. I  _ am _ going in the right direction, yes?” She set about readying her horse, adjusting the girth so the saddle wouldn’t slip and replacing what she took from her saddlebags.

“You’re trusting me, Dragon Knight? Just like that?” Blake asked as the knight swung herself into the saddle. The knight shrugged.

“This is the first lead I’ve gotten so far. I’d be an idiot to pass that up. Besides, I think I can take care of myself.” She offered a hand to Blake. “I’m Yang Xiao Long, by the way.” Blake took her hand to be polite. She had no intention of sharing her name. She yelped, however, when the knight pulled hard, strong enough to lift Blake off her feet. She scrambled ungracefully onto the back of the horse, taken off guard by the hand up.

“I can walk,” she sputtered.

“It’ll be faster this way. Bumblebee can handle the two of us for a short while,” Yang said, patting the horse’s neck. “We can get you a horse in the next town. Now, tell me your name and what your lead is, and we’ll be off.”

“Keep on the same path you’ve been on,” Blake said, ignoring the first part of Yang’s request. She made no move to urge the horse forward. “What?”

“Your name?” The knight asked. Blake ground her teeth.

“Not important. Just ride.” They still didn’t move. Yang’s face was hidden for the most part, but as close as she was Blake could see the twinkle in her lilac eyes.

“I’ll have to learn it eventually,” she teased. She let the subject drop all the same. “Don’t be shy holding on to me. As great as he is, Bumblebee isn’t very comfortable.” She finally urged the horse into a walk. Blake bit her tongue to contain a yelp, unprepared for the motion. She was left with the feeling that this little exchange ended as a draw at best. It was certainly going to lead to an interesting arrangement.


	3. Chapter 3

They rode until late afternoon in mostly silence. Yang exuded a pleasant demeanor the whole time, never once letting the air turn sour between them. Blake couldn’t understand how she managed it without speaking. Bumblebee lived up to her boasts about him. He kept up the pace easily, though Blake felt how warm he was without the barrier of a saddle. She didn’t have to worry about falling off, for Yang’s armor and cloak gave her plenty of places to hold on to.

Since they had such an early start, they reached the outskirts of the town in the late afternoon. It was nestled into a small valley, with much of the forest cut back to provide farmland for the people who lived there. The floor of the valley rippled with golden wheat growing in the fields. Larger than the village where she met Yang, this one had a name. The upkeep of the road was noticeably better once they were passed a sign welcoming them to Higanbana. It wandered into the valley in a switchback manner, so as to negate the burden of the slope. 

Traffic also increased, with farmers staring up from on foot or in wagons at the knight in their presence. Blake was shocked to notice that they were all Faunus. Every last one. Under her hood, her ears twitched in surprise at the sight. Maybe she wouldn’t have to hide for once.

Yang was guiding Bumblebee around the final switchback when a commotion in the fields made him plant his feet and snort. Yang rubbed his neck soothingly to distract him from the shouting. Blake pricked her ears, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Human!” One of the peasants shouted. Other farmers abandoned their plows immediately, running over to the road to block the way for a woman on foot.

“Scum!”

“Filth!”

The shouts and jeers rose as the woman cowered before the farmers. She was indeed human, her clothes dust-covered from travel.

“Please. I’m only trying to–”

“We don’t want your kind here. Begone!” The woman flinched as someone threw a rock at her. Blake didn’t see who was responsible, but suddenly all the farmers were reaching down for ammunition of their own. 

The traveler turned and fled under the barrage of rocks, protecting her head with her arms. She brushed past Bumblebee, audibly sobbing as she retreated. The farmers held their line until she was almost at the top of the valley. They grumbled as they dispersed, picking up abandoned tools as they returned to finish the day’s labor.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’ll be welcome here,” Yang said, watching the farmers warily.

“We can always turn back and go around.” As much as Blake missed feeling like she belonged, Yang was right. She’d be run out of town the moment she removed her helmet. Possibly with an actual mob on her heels.

“Actually, we can’t.” Blake’s arms stiffened around Yang’s waist.

“Are you kidding me? What could possibly be so important you risk  _ that _ happening to you?” Blake had been in that woman’s position before more times than she could count. There was a reason she hid her ears in most places she went.

“The tavern owner in the last town told me there was an artificer here. It’s vital that I see one as soon as possible,” Yang said cryptically. “There might not be another one for days or even weeks. And I’m telling you now. My usefulness to you directly correlates to how soon I can find an artificer.” Blake resisted the urge to drum her fingers on Yang’s armor as she deliberated.

“Get off the horse,” Blake said. She swung her leg over Bumblebee’s rear and thunked to the ground. Her knees and feet protested as she landed. Riding behind someone would have been uncomfortable even if she was used to spending much time on horseback. On top of that, Bumblebee was much taller than most of the horses she’d ridden before. It was farther to the ground than she expected.

“What are we doing?” Yang asked though she followed Blake’s example. 

Blake didn’t answer, merely led them to where the road leveled off. She hooked her forefinger through the chain she wore around her neck, pulling it out from beneath her dress. It was looped through a simple golden ring. Warm from her body heat, she pinched the ring between her thumb and forefinger. It was a memento from Menagerie, the one piece of her old life she managed to hold onto.

She rolled it back and forth in her hand, considering how they were going to make it into town. Unless they were side by side the entire time they were in Higanbana, any illusion she cast over Yang would fade after a short time. The ring, however, might provide a solution.

“Remove your helmet,” Blake said. “Use Bumblebee as a screen.”

“Do you wish for me to be stoned?” Yang asked. She obeyed, though she took it a step further and held her cloak up to hide her face from the road. Blake resisted rolling her eyes at her lack of self-preservation. Even with her extra precautions, she was far too trusting in someone she just met. A breeze picked up her hair, and Yang brushed away a few strands that stuck to her face.

Instead of replying, Blake lowered her own hood, revealing the cat ears atop her head. Yang’s eyes widened as Blake removed her necklace. She was too polite to comment, which Blake couldn’t help but be relieved about. She stood entranced as Blake muttered a few words over the ring. It flashed purple, almost too bright to look at before it faded away. The magic leaped at her command in a way it rarely did. She usually had to force it to obey her will, especially for a complicated illusion like this. 

Trying not to think about it too hard, Blake examined her handiwork. To a mage’s eyes, the ring would retain a faint purple glow as it held the enchantment. For anyone else, it would appear completely ordinary. The glow shouldn’t be a problem if Yang kept it tucked away.

“Here.” Blake lifted the necklace and Yang ducked her head so she could put it around her neck. She tucked the necklace beneath Yang’s armor, hiding it from sight.

“What was that supposed to do?” She asked. Blake smiled in satisfaction as the illusion took hold.

“Look at yourself.” Blake nodded to Yang’s helmet. The back of it was smooth enough to show at least a distorted reflection. Yang held it up immediately, examining her features carefully.

“I don’t look any...woah!” Her jaw dropped in shock as she spotted the difference. Blake truly outdid herself this time. 

The illusion was subtle, yet it blended seamlessly with her canvas. Yang ran her tongue over her teeth, which for all appearances were sharpened to points. The small sliver of skin below her jawline visible above her gorget was patterned lightly with scales that faded closer to her windpipe.

Yang tore her gaze away from her reflection. “Wherever did you get the inspiration?” She raised her helmet, pointedly connecting it to her new reptilian appearance.

“As long as you wear that necklace, we should be fine in town for the night,” Blake said, turning away from the awe in Yang’s gaze. She waited until Yang climbed into the saddle for her assistance getting up behind her. The knight paused as she tucked her helmet into her saddlebags.

“Is it alright for me to do this? I wouldn’t want to offend anyone,” she said, eyes wide.

Blake scoffed, though somewhere deep within her she was touched the thought crossed her mind. 

“Your very existence would offend some of these people. We’ll do what we can to conduct our business and then leave as soon as possible.” Yang didn’t reply except to urge Bumblebee onward. They passed through the fields with the same amount of gawking, but no one turned hostile thanks to Blake’s illusion.

“So, you’re a Faunus,” she said after a long stretch of silence. Blake tensed behind her, heart pounding in her throat. She worried it would come to this when she was inevitably exposed.

“Is that going to be a problem?” she snapped. She hoped not. She’d already invested enough time in Yang she would hate to have to separate. “Right now, it’s to your benefit.”

Yang finally recovered from the weird aura she’d been giving off. “No. Why would it be?” Blake stared at her for a long moment. She truly didn’t understand. Her shock was a genuine first impression, and it was fading fast now she reevaluated.

“You’re a knight. From Vale,” Blake said, whispering the last part. She could barely get the words out, she was so tense.

“Which requires I treat everyone with basic decency and respect. You’ll find no quarrel from me,” Yang said. She twisted so she could meet Blake’s gaze. “As long as you don’t try to rob me in my sleep.” She winked.

“I won’t,” Blake said. “Watch where you’re going. Running someone over will get us into their poor esteem, even if you look like one of us.”

They rode into town and Blake plastered on a smile to ask for directions from a shopkeeper. It would be best not to draw attention to Yang, even though she was a shining beacon. Her skin prickled as she noticed a rickety tower the shopkeeper pointed out as the town artificer’s workshop. The fact it was standing was a surefire sign of magic. Furthermore, Blake saw the faint aura of magic around the tower. It seemed obvious now it was pointed out to them. She thanked the shopkeeper anyway as Yang steered them in the right direction.

Dismounting in front of the tower, Yang tied Bumblebee to a hitching post just off the road. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a lumpy, clinking coin purse.

“Here,” she said, dumping a few gold lien into one hand before tossing the purse to Blake. “See if you can find yourself a palfrey. Do you know how to check if a horse is sound?”

“I don’t need your pity.” Blake tossed the purse back at Yang, who raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not pity. Gold is of no consequence if it will spare Bumblebee the discomfort of having us ride double.” She took Blake’s hand and placed the purse firmly in it. “Think of it as an investment in my own future. Now, do you know how to pick a sound horse?” The intensity in her gaze was gentle, but it left no room for argument. Blake’s fingers closed around the purse.

“Yes,” she mumbled.

“Good. You can meet me back here when you find something. I’ll probably be a while,” Yang said, looking up at the tower. For the first time since meeting her, Blake saw trepidation in her eyes. It helped her make a decision.

“I won’t be long,” she said, slipping away. This seemed like something Yang wanted to do on her own. As a fellow independent spirit, Blake couldn’t begrudge her request.

Finding a horse breeder was no problem. This farming community relied heavily upon the beasts, and the breeder – a Faunus with rabbit ears – was more than happy to see a new face to sell to. He first tried showing Blake the yearlings until she firmly corrected him. Chagrined, he took her into the stable to show her the riding horses. She watched him trot them out with a careful eye, remembering the lessons in horsemanship from her youth. Though it was long ago, combined with the breeder’s commentary it was enough to help her pick out a dark bay gelding with a small snip on his nose who would be a suitable mount for her. Then came the haggling.

It was nearing sunset by the time Blake rode away from the breeders on her new mount. She thought she convinced the breeder to sell for a fair price. Yang’s coin purse wasn’t light enough to induce any guilt in Blake’s mind. The knight did say to spare no expense.

Blake’s eyebrows rose when she saw Bumblebee still hitched outside with no sign of Yang anywhere. She’d spent enough time haggling over her horse she thought Yang’s business would certainly be finished. She wondered what was keeping her.

An agonized groan loud enough to be heard outside the workshop had Blake stiffen in the saddle. Her horse skittered sideways, picking up on her tension. She dismounted quickly. She wasn’t a good enough horsewoman to deal with a fully spooking horse. Quickly, she tied her horse to the same hitching post as Bumblebee, close enough that they could introduce themselves but far enough to be safe. The groan sounded like it came from Yang. Blake wanted to investigate.

Stepping inside the workshop was like entering a whole new world. The whole place smelled like metal, oil, and magic. Half finished devices cluttered rickety shelves, many of them glowing with a faint magical aura. They competed for space with a legion of books. Larger, more complete projects took up the floor. Blake couldn’t begin to make heads or tails of any possible purpose they were meant to fulfil. A rickety ladder led to the upper floors. Toward the back, there was a large workbench with two people huddled around it.

Blake halted in the doorway as Yang exhaled sharply through her teeth. She sat on a bench with her back to the worktable. Her arm was splayed out and rested on the table. She was stripped of her armor to the waist, wearing only a thin, sleeveless undershirt that was soaked with sweat. Her armor and cloak were neatly stacked in the corner. The scales from Blake’s illusion extended over her collarbones before disappearing. She wasn’t expecting Yang to be out of her armor in public and so was conservative in weaving her illusion.

Hunched over Yang’s arm was a man with a shock of green hair. Blake couldn’t help but gape at what he was working on. Yang’s arm ended well above her elbow, the missing flesh replaced by an artificial limb. Its metal plating was open at the moment, exposing the gears and wiring inside of it. Yang looked up as Blake opened the door, letting in a gust of cool air from outside.

“Close the door,” she ordered through gritted teeth. Blake was too shocked not to obey. She opened her mouth several times, trying to think of something to say.

“Your arm,” she finally settled with. The man with green hair whipped around to glare at her through thick, round glasses.

“Shut up! I’m almost done, and this is a delicate process. I might never get the chance to work with Atlesian technology again,” he hissed, waving a wrench threateningly at Blake.

“Oh, it’s only my sword arm, thank you very much,” Yang said, in rare agitated form. The artificer turned back to his work, muttering to himself. 

Blake settled herself in an out of the way corner, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. She stared blatantly at Yang, who refused to meet her gaze. While Blake’s attention was mostly on the knight, it took her some time to notice there was something off about the artificer. After a few double takes, she placed it. He was human! She watched him more carefully after that, more questions swirling in her mind than ever. 

The artificer worked for another fifteen minutes or so before he started to close up Yang’s arm. “That should hold up for  _ quite _ some time, I guarantee it,” he said. Yang tested her arm, opening and closing her fingers, flexing at the elbow.

“It feels much better. Thank you, Oobleck,” she said. She took the rag he offered her and dabbed at the sweat on her brow, still ignoring Blake. That wouldn’t do.

“I must say, this is a scene that raises many questions,” she commented. “That is if I’m allowed to speak now.”

“Sorry about earlier,” Oobleck said. He turned, wiping oil off his hands. “I was concentrating. What can I help you with?”

“This is my companion, No One,” Yang said. She looked pale and exhausted. 

“Pleased to meet you, No One. Bartholomew Oobleck, artificer extraordinaire at your service.” He gave a sweeping bow from where he was seated. He wore a white shirt under a smock that was smeared with grease stains, some old, some new. After introducing himself, he began putting away his tools, moving so quickly Blake could barely keep up with him.

Instead, she glared at Yang. “If I knew you were going to keep that up, I would have told you my actual name.”

“But you didn’t, so I’ll stick with what I know,” Yang said. Now the inner mechanisms of her arm weren’t exposed to the air, her mood was improving rapidly.

“Blake is what I prefer to be called,” she drawled. “Now I’ve done something for you. Please, will you sate my endless curiosity now?” Yang’s artificial fist closed with a squeak of metal.

“Right. You weren’t supposed to find out about this,” she said. Her face was drawn, eyes hard. “I can assure you it will not impede my skills in any way.”

“So why hide it?” Blake asked. She didn’t miss Yang’s eyes flicking up to her ears and filed away the information for future reference.

“If people knew, it might affect their belief I’m able to protect them,” she said slowly. “Most of my authority comes from the faith people place in my ability to be strong and just. I can’t let anything get in the way of that, or I wouldn’t be able to do my job properly.” 

Blake found herself nodding along as she listened. A faraway expression slid over Yang’s face as she lost herself in memory. Blake let her have her moment.

Oobleck seemed less inclined to tread carefully in the silence. He darted up to Yang, shoving a flagon in her hands.

“Drink this. That was quite an ordeal you just endured, and you need your strength.” Yang raised the flagon to take a sniff and wrinkled her nose.

“What is in here?”

“My standard concoction for all users of magical/mechanical artificial limbs recovering from an extensive tune-up.” Yang took a sip and nearly gagged. She stuck out her tongue and coughed before going in for another. “I made it extra strong for you. It’s been far too long since you’ve seen an artificer,” he scolded.

“What do you mean by magical/mechanical?” Blake asked. Oobleck adjusted his glasses.

“Well, obviously life can be rather difficult for amputees, or those born with defective limbs. Luckily, a few clever artificers from up north thought of the idea to combine modern knowledge of mechanics with our magical talents. BOOM!” Blake nearly leaped through the ceiling at his sudden exclamation. “The quality of life for amputees improves immensely with these new artificial limbs.”

Blake glanced at Yang, who despite the concoction meant to restore her strength still looked drawn from her ordeal. She remembered the pained expression on her face as Oobleck worked and wondered if it was worth the cost.

“That tune-up looked pretty painful.” Though she addressed the observation at Oobleck, she didn’t take her eyes off Yang. The knight was suddenly very interested in her terrible drink.

“Oh, it most definitely is. The limb connects directly to the nervous system, so any tweaks made are felt intensely while it’s attached. Of course, detaching and reattaching is much, much worse,” Oobleck said. He sounded thrilled discussing the science behind it.

Yang slammed the empty flagon on the worktable. She rose from the bench, moving carefully so as to retain control of her battered body.

“You have my eternal gratitude for your assistance, Oobleck. Not many people have the skill to work with Atlesian machinery like this. However, I think we’ve long past stayed our welcome.” She shuffled through her armor, searching for whatever piece she needed to put on first.

“Oh, it’s no worries at all. You’re welcome back here any time with that arm of yours,” Oobleck said as Yang awkwardly started to dress. “I don’t get out of the village much, they only trust me enough to keep me around, not let me wander. It’s been quite some time since something so interesting has wandered into this neck of the woods.”

Watching Yang struggle, Blake wanted to offer her help. Unfortunately, she knew next to nothing about putting on armor, and would likely be more a hindrance than a help. From her explanations, Blake didn’t think Yang would take too kindly to the offer. As polite as she was, pride was also a factor. No matter if it came from a well-intentioned place, Blake’s offer could easily be misconstrued.

Oobleck sent them off with plenty of babbled wishes for them to visit again. Encased in her armor, Yang moved like it was the easiest thing in the world, giving no hint as to the ordeal she just went through. It was dark when they finally reached their horses. Yang cast an approving glance over the palfrey Blake purchased.

“Does he have a name?”

Blake blinked in surprise. “No. Why does he need a name?”

“Every horse needs a name,” Yang said. She stroked Bumblebee’s nose and he lowered his head into her hand. “It’s important to their character.”

“They’re horses,” Blake said flatly.

“They’re more than that,” Yang replied. She gazed into her steed’s dark, half closed eyes. “Bumblebee here got his name when he found a whole nest of them as a colt. He found out the hard way he shouldn’t mess with them, the same way people often do with him.” Her lips curled in a fond smile as she remembered the day.

Blake cleared her throat. “It’s getting late,” she said, distracting Yang from her memories. “Should we move on or find an inn?”

“An inn would be fantastic,” Yang said, not at all offended at Blake’s abrupt change of topic. “Would you like a leg up?” Grumbling, Blake accepted.

Riding side by side was different than riding double. Blake couldn’t help sneaking glances at her companion, who left her helmet off to prove her belonging in this town. There was more to Yang than Blake once thought. Though she was expecting to travel with a heroic knight with more brawn than compassion, in reality she was getting to know the woman who showed mercy to a Faunus thief and adored her horse like a friend rather than a tool. Cautious optimism rose in Blake’s chest. For once, she didn’t mind her expectations being shattered.


	4. Chapter 4

They spent the night in an inn as welcomed strangers with few problems from the locals. Still, they didn’t want to press their luck, and readied themselves for an early morning. At dinner, they huddled over a small table in the corner of the room. Blake summoned an illusory map of Anima so they could plan their route. She tried to ignore how her skin prickled with the way Yang looked from her to the illusion, uncertain which to focus on.

“And this map is accurate?” Yang asked, awestruck rather than accusatory. When Blake nodded, she whistled. “This is incredible. You’d never get lost.”

“It was just a bit of memorization,” Blake mumbled. “Not that big a deal.” She had no idea why she was so bashful all of a sudden. Her maps barely caused a raised eyebrow from her previous companions. Yang didn’t have to look so impressed.

They rented a double room for the night, conscious of both expense and what would happen should the illusion wear off during the night and Blake wasn’t there to renew it immediately. Blake couldn’t say it was worth it. She would have thrown the first stone had Yang been discovered. The knight snored incredibly loudly.

The next morning, they awoke to find Yang’s disguise still intact, which instantly put Blake in a good mood. Usually it was difficult to sustain multiple spells. However, since one of them was grounded in her ring and the other she only maintained for a few minutes, there was no strain in keeping up two complex illusions at once. Her magic was always more powerful when it was tied to something she cared about. Between stressing over the disguise and Yang’s snoring, sleep had been a long time coming.

She refused to let any of her exhaustion show, rising at dawn when Yang did. Not that it would have been possible to sleep through the racket Yang’s armor made as she donned it. Blake watched her do so carefully, trying to learn how it was done so next time she could lend a hand to expedite the process. The twisting and stretching she had to do looked incredibly awkward. She had no idea how Yang managed without a squire. At least the extra time let her think about a name for her steed.

They paid the innkeeper from Yang’s coin purse, at the knight’s stubborn insistence. Blake didn’t argue too much, though a small part of her was guilty letting Yang spend so much on their travels. She consoled herself imagining the castle Yang probably grew up in and her guilt shrunk immediately. She could stand to finance their travels for a short time.

The grooms readied their horses while they enjoyed breakfast. Blake refused Yang’s offer for help by using a mounting block in the stable yard. Yang tipped the grooms heavily before following her example.

“I gave some thought about naming him,” Blake said as they passed through the gate. Though the illusion was still intact, Yang had her helmet on. Enough people had seen her by now no one would stop and demand she prove herself. In her armor, she was rather recognizable. Blake had her hood up, more comfortable that way.

“Oh?” Yang said. “What did you come up with?”

“His name is Shroud,” Blake said. She dug her fingers through his long, silky mane that flowed down over one side of his neck, the tangles brushed out by the grooms this morning, forcing herself to admit that now he had a name she was more attached to him.

“I like it. It suits him.” Yang hummed her approval. “Shroud and Bumblebee. What a pair.”

Like yesterday, Yang allowed them to ride in silence. Occasionally, she hazarded a comment or question, but never pushed Blake past her limit. Blake used the time to sneak sideways glances at the knight. With her armor on, no one would be able to guess one of her arms was artificial. Blake had yet to see her fight, but she couldn’t imagine it was much of a hindrance, according to Yang’s claims of her prowess. Blake wondered how she lost it in the first place. She was mighty young to have such a terrible wound.

Yang woahed Bumblebee well before dusk. After Higanbana, their travels would take them deep into the wilderness. Pushing past sunset made little sense, as it would only make setting up camp all that more difficult. Blake slid off Shroud while trying to hide the relief that they were stopping. She was still sore from yesterday, her legs protesting taking her weight after so long in the saddle. It would take more than just a few days for her to get used to riding again. She only managed to hide it by taking a few steps off the road into the forest.

“Can you start a fire? I’ll take care of the horses,” Yang said once they found an acceptable clearing, fondly rubbing the white stripe that ran down Bumblebee’s face. It was one of the first things she said to her all day. 

Blake tried not to resent that it was an order. It made sense they would divide the work. Her horsemanship was rusty, and it was hardly prudent for Yang to do all the work setting up camp. Besides, Blake was going to prove she could pull her weight. She only teamed up with Yang because it increased her chances of success, not because she couldn’t do things on her own. They might have relied on Yang’s coin while in town, but Blake was plenty capable herself in the wilderness.

It took more concentration than she liked to admit to summon a spark once she gathered firewood. Her natural talents were mostly in the vein of creating illusions, but she was a strong enough mage to pick up a few useful tricks. Her determination to prove herself useful was enough to get a roaring fire after just a minute or two of struggle. Yang settled down next to her a short time after she had it built up.

“The perks of traveling with a mage,” she said, making herself comfortable. “I have a tendency to...overdo it when it comes to starting a campfire.” Blake held back from commenting that it usually took her longer. She rarely tried to start a fire with magic, it worked so infrequently. 

“Do you sleep in your armor on the road?” Blake asked as Yang spread her bedroll, unable to hold back her curiosity.

“Usually. You never know what’s around you in the wilderness. Plus, you saw me back at the inn. It’s too much of a hassle to take on and off if I’m on the road. It’s more comfortable than you might think.” She took off her helmet and Blake saw creases across her forehead from it. Yang was either so used to her armor any discomfort was unfelt or was putting on a brave face.

“Oh, I just remembered! You probably want this back, yes?” Yang’s fingers searched for the chain around her neck. She pulled off the necklace with Blake’s ring on it, carefully tugging it over her hair. The glow of magic in it was nearly completely faded, and as soon as Yang took it off her disguise disappeared.

“Thank you,” Blake said, holding out her hand so Yang could pile the necklace onto it.

“It’s you I should be thanking. That ring must be pretty special to you if it was able to hold your magic for so long.” Blake’s cheeks heated.

“How would you know that?” She demanded.

“One of my dear friends is a mage. I’ve had to listen to her ramble on about magic so often I could probably figure out a few real spells myself.” A fond smile grew over her face as she spoke. Blake looked her critically up and down.

“You might want to stick to your sword. Wouldn’t want you blowing yourself off the face of Remnant on accident,” she said.

“Ouch. I am wounded by your brutal words. However shall I recover?” Yang said dramatically. She grinned at Blake. “You sound just like my friend.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”

“Oh, it’s good. I promise. She can be a little stuck up sometimes, but who’s to say you mages are all the same.” Yang’s eyes twinkled in the firelight. Blake cleared her throat.

“Perhaps I should be more defensive of my fellows, but I can’t disagree with you,” she said.

“Where’d you learn to use magic? Is it in your blood, or did you study it?” Yang asked. Blake’s shoulders tensed. She should have expected the question and never asked one of her own.

“A bit of both,” she said vaguely.

“I’ve never heard of the mage school abitofboth.” Yang tapped her chin, giving Blake a playful look. “Must be somewhere pretty remote.” Blake rolled her eyes and didn’t respond.

The conversation died again after that. Blake killed it further when she curled up under her blankets. She didn’t like thinking about where her magic came from, it reminded her of too many painful topics. Her parents, the so-called grand adventure she decided was more important than them, the terrible fallout from it that left her alone and on the run. It was no wonder her talents manifested the way they did, with how close she liked to keep things to her chest. Veering so close to her secrets set her on edge, though she supposed it was only fair now she knew Yang’s. 

She let her breath even out while her thoughts worked overtime, recalling how Yang reacted to the turmoil of the last few days. Being confronted with bigotry was never easy, but Yang seemed to take it all in stride. She didn’t throw a fit about how unfair it all was, which would have been in incredibly poor taste considering the reason there was so much hatred in the first place. She followed Blake’s lead so well they were both nearly able to forget she wasn’t wanted in Higanbana. And when Blake walked in on her in Oobleck’s workshop, she hadn’t lashed out despite the immense pain she must have been in.

Blake couldn’t help but wonder where she had been over the past few months. Tensions between the humans and the Faunus were higher than ever. They needed level heads on both sides, and Yang demonstrated her great restraint multiple times. Sure, she was young, but a knight was a knight. She would have had sway to help keep tensions from escalating to where they were presently.

At least she reappeared now, right in time for Blake to find her. She fell asleep more confident about the likelihood of her quest succeeding.

* * *

_ Yang was back at Beacon, but not the grandiose palace she remembered fondly. This time, Beacon was burning. Smoke and ash filled the corridor she raced away from, coughing into her elbow. It collapsed up ahead, she had to find another way around.  _

_ Everything was chaos. Rubble and bodies were everywhere. Some wore familiar armor or uniforms. Others wore red and white masks. The sights came in flashes, burned forever into her memory by pure horror. Yang choked on the stench of death. Her knuckles hurt with how tightly she gripped her sword. It was the ghost of a sensation she hadn’t entirely forgotten. In her dreams, she still had both arms. She stumbled into a staircase where there was less destruction than in the hallway. _

_ The attack had come from nowhere, and Beacon was caught completely unprepared. Their enemies had come far too close before attacking the castle for King Ozpin’s knights to rally and mount a proper defense. The White Fang broke through the outer wall in mere hours. Yang had been fighting ever since against foes bearing the telltale masks of an organization King Ozpin wrote off as taken care of. From the castle’s position on top of a hill, she could glance out the windows to see everywhere in the city was in a similar state. Her joints ached as sweat stung her eyes and dripped down her back. Her armor was dented, pressing uncomfortably against her flesh where it had taken severe hits. Worst of all, she was alone, cut off from her allies by the collapsed hallway. She just had to keep fighting, to find her fellow knights again and rally against this attack. _

_ She burst out of the staircase onto the bulwark at the top of the castle. Miraculously, it was still intact despite the destruction below. She sucked down fresh air like she was drowning. It still smelled acrid, but it was better than the stale, unflowing air inside. She hurried onward. There were people rallying in the central keep around the king. She just had to make it to them. _

_ The dream shifted after just a few steps onto the bulwark. Her vision became washed in red and a chuckle from behind locked her in place. She was still on the bulwark, though unable to progress any further. Just like the way it happened in real life. With dread a gaping pit in her chest, she turned. Out of the door she just burst through came a man dressed in black leather armor. His face was covered by a mask. Red hair and black horns spiked out from his head. The sword Yang knew to be blood-colored was sheathed at his side. _

_ “Where are you going, little knight?” he asked mockingly. Yang’s hands shook as she faced him. He took a step and she couldn’t even fall into a fighting stance. Her sword and shield hung limply at her sides. “To your dead king? I watched his blood spill across his throne. And now yours will paint this wall.” _

_ He dashed forward, and agony took her right arm. This wasn’t how it went! In real life, she put up more of a fight. She fought as hard as she could – even taking the man’s eye! – and still nearly died on that bulwark. In her nightmares, he always came fast and deadly. Her subconscious knew how this played out, knew she couldn’t fight it. _

_ She screamed as that hate-twisted face loomed above her, one eye streaming with blood from a wound caused by Yang’s sword. This was the man who caused Beacon’s downfall. The man Ruby went to find revenge on Yang’s behalf. The man who caused her to lose her arm, her sense of self. And he stood over her, laughing eternally. _

* * *

She awoke in a cold sweat, muffling screams into the palm of her hand. She fought to control her fear, slow her breathing. A spike of emotion like this was sure to draw Grimm if she didn’t get it under control. Yang rolled onto her stomach and lifted herself up with her elbows. She threw off her blanket, suddenly too hot under it. She imagined steam rising from her body, sizzling in the cool night air.

The adrenaline faded as she practiced her breathing exercises. Yang dropped her forehead onto her bedroll. It was all just a dream, a nightmare. She’d relived it so many times after the fall of Beacon it was all but etched into her mind every time she closed her eyes. Since she set out on her quest, however, the dreams had stayed dormant, pushed aside by her finding purpose again. This was the first time in a while she had one this intense.

Yang rolled onto her side, facing the dying embers of their fire. She tugged off the gauntlet on her left hand and reached for her opposite arm. Her fingers ran over the nearly invisible seam in her armor. In her mind’s eye, it was a gaping ridge that was still in pieces where the Faunus had sliced through.

A snore from beside her jolted her out of the dark trance brought on by repetitive movement and staring into the fire. Yang sat up, eyes adjusting to the dark shape of her companion.

Asleep, Blake looked much younger, more vulnerable than when she was awake. Her usual hard expression of narrowed eyes and turned down mouth was more neutral, peaceful. Yang wondered if she could be trusted. It had been blind faith she brought her along in the first place, and Yang was hit with the sudden realization she barely knew anything about her. Blake had been most unwilling to offer up any information about herself. Yang hadn’t even known she was a Faunus until yesterday.

This could all be a trap.

A nagging feeling that was probably her PTSD tugged at her gut. She knew it was trying to shape her judgment. On the other hand, there was a valid reason for concern. Yang hated herself a little for letting prejudice cloud her judgment. But was it prejudice if she was in the middle of nowhere with a powerful stranger who just so happened to know the answer to her quest? It seemed too convenient. Yang was not a woman without enemies. Yet Blake didn’t give any explicit reason she shouldn’t be trusted other than hiding her identity. Yang could understand the motivations behind that. Plus, she helped protect Yang back in Higanbana.

As she wrestled with her fear, Blake shifted in her sleep. She rolled onto her back and let out a deeper snore. One of her ears twitched and she swiped at her nose with the back of her hand. Yang froze, worried that the clanking of her armor as she moved woke her up. She only relaxed when her hand fell back to her side and she gave another deep snore.

Yang sighed and carefully laid back down. While there was nothing wrong with being cautious of strangers, she was being ridiculous right now. Blake could have killed her in her sleep with ease, or left her to die in Higanbana, yet she was sound asleep beside her. She trusted Yang enough to let her guard down. Yang should extend the same courtesy. This arrangement would only work with good faith from both parties, so Yang settled down to sleep again with exactly that in mind.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was overcast, and Yang was grateful to wake up without being blinded by the sun. It was chilly, though, and where her armor was exposed it was covered with dew. She wiped it off with her cloak. The metal was treated against rust, but that didn’t mean she could disregard caring for it entirely. Blake was already conscious, even though Yang was a naturally early riser. She had her hood up and was finishing tying her blankets into a roll. Yang noticed two small lumps on the top of her head. She didn’t fold back her ears to hide them today.

They made short work of camp before moving on. Yang helped Blake mount without comment. She was a decent horsewoman, though her skills were clearly rusty. It was impressive how quickly she was getting used to it again. Yang never got the hang of riding side-saddle. It didn’t feel right not being able to grip the horse from both sides. For her, it lacked both balance and control, though Blake was having few to no issues the more she practiced.

As they set out, Yang found herself extra grateful she insisted Blake get a horse of her own. Riding double was fine for her, but for Blake it was surely uncomfortable. Besides, it was far from ideal for Bumblebee as well. Over short distances, he could manage no problem. But with their journey stretching out in front of him, the strain would ruin his back. 

Even if they only had one horse, Yang likely would have led him from the ground. It would be rude to make Blake walk while she rode. And she didn’t seem the type to want to ride while Yang walked even if Bumblebee would let her. He was trained to listen to Yang alone and give anyone he wasn’t familiar with hell if they tried to ride him.

By midafternoon, the clouds dissipated to Yang’s relief. As nice as they were this morning, rain would be miserable. Travel at this time of year came with a variety of comfort levels; Yang experienced everything from beautiful clear days to full-blown hail storms. 

“May I ask where we are going?” she asked when they broke for lunch. Traveling alone she often had full conversations with Bumblebee to stave off boredom. Blake seemed to prefer the quiet, so Yang tried to be respectful. But there was only so much silence she — a natural chatterbox — could take.

“A place,” Blake said, tight-lipped as ever. Yang frowned. She thought they might have been slowly heading toward a better relationship than perfect strangers. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. This was far different than how Yang was used to traveling. Her usual companion was even more talkative than Yang was. At least Yang had the self-control to shut up and be comfortable in silence, though it certainly took a lot out of her.

“Ok, where? Have I followed the lead you claim to have blindly long enough to get you to trust me?” Yang asked. It was one thing to show courtesy and allow them to travel how Blake preferred, but at some point Yang had to stick up for herself. “Trust goes both ways, you know.” Blake tensed in the middle of digging through her saddlebags. One of her ears twitched underneath her hood.

“I suppose you have a point,” she said. Yang struggled to keep the triumph off her face as Blake gave in. “I know of a group who wishes to exist outside the politics of the kingdoms. Outcasts, mostly. Somehow they managed to thrive without being completely obliterated by Grimm. Their unique position means they have a wide network of information. Their leader is said to know everyone and everything that happens in Mistral. If anyone knows the location of who we seek, it’ll be them.”

“Somehow that’s more mysterious than when I didn’t know where we were going,” Yang said. Blake gave a little snort through her nose, so subtle it was barely there. Yang realized it was a laugh, a theory cemented when she caught a peek at the smile on her face.

“It’s ok if you’re confused. You’re just the muscle,” Blake said as they settled on the ground with their rations. Her tone was light and teasing.

“Oh, so does that mean you’re the brains?”

“Obviously.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little stereotypical? The one with the magic being the brains and the one with the sword being the brawn?”

“Stereotypes are based on truth.” She was smiling openly now, and Yang mirrored her expression. Blake wasn’t being purposefully sullen; she just had to be drawn out of her cowl a little.

Despite everything that told her not to — the magic, the ears, knowing nothing about her but her name — Yang couldn’t help but like her companion. She was too magnetic, and Yang was automatically comfortable in her presence. While Yang was easygoing, she guessed such effortless companionship didn’t come naturally to Blake. Even so, her silence wasn’t uncomfortable and drawing her into a conversation was second nature. Of all the mysterious figures she could have picked up on this quest, she was glad to find Blake. Already Yang knew intrinsically she’d follow her anywhere

Blake dropped her heel of bread suddenly, rising halfway to her feet. Though she didn’t know what was happening, Yang followed her lead. Her hand jumped to her weapon tension locking up her spine.

“What is it?” She whispered. Her armor creaked as she stood, barely audible over the pounding in her ears.

“I heard something.” Blake’s ears swiveled back under her hood, and she was once again disguised. Yang heard stories about Faunus having better senses than humans. Though she could hear nothing herself, she loosened her sword from its sheath and fitted her shield onto her arm.

“Trouble?” Yang barely got the question out before she picked out rustling in the forest.

She spun around, putting her back to Blake and drawing her sword. Blake remained composed as eight figures stepped out of the forest, weapons drawn. A mere look at their scruffy camouflage told Yang these were bandits, though they were remarkably well-armed for common thieves. Spotting several axes and pikes, she reached up to lower her visor, readying herself for battle.

“You’re trespassing on our territory,” one of them said. “Pay the toll and we’ll let you pass without a fight.”

“Last time I checked, the kingdom of Mistral was free to travel through,” Yang said. Anger rippled through the bandits. They muttered to each other and shifted their grips on their weapons.

“We don’t recognize the rule of Mistral,” the leader said. “You don’t see any of their forces here to intervene, so I say we get to do what we want.” One of them nocked an arrow. The leader gave her a sharp glance and shook his head. Yang cataloged the information in the back of her mind.

“You don’t want a fight. We’re only stopping briefly before passing through,” Blake said, keeping her voice calm as she tried to talk their way out of a fight.

Yang was busy sizing up each of the bandits, but she silently agreed it would be better if they could get out of this without exchanging blows. Eight against two was dangerous, and Yang didn’t know if Blake could fight. She didn’t have any visible weapons, and her magic seemed mostly illusion based. Not ideal for combat. Yang was smarter than assuming unknown variables would be in her favor. She would effectively have to rely on her own sword if it came to blows. And she wouldn’t have time to scramble atop Bumblebee, putting her on a much more even level without her usual mounted advantage.

“You’re the ones who are outnumbered. Now, give us what we’re owed, and we’ll let you be on your way.” He jerked his chin at their horses. Yang raised an eyebrow, pieces falling into place in her mind. He’d just given his whole game away.

“I think you’ll find you’re making a mistake,” Blake said. Her voice was low and dangerous, and the bandits reached for their weapons. Yang’s blood boiled. She exhaled, suddenly very much in need of a fight. 

“Remember what I said about overdoing my campfires last night?” Yang asked. Her eyes and throat burned the way they always did when her magic welled up. “You’re about to find out why they call me the Dragon Knight.” With a roar, she opened her mouth and breathed out a stream of fire.

The bandits scrambled back with screams of surprise as flames threatened to engulf them. Yang let it burn just long enough to give them space to maneuver before snapping her jaw shut. She wasn’t trying to burn down the forest. 

The instant the flames died, Blake burst into action. Yang heard a wet thump and a scream. She glanced toward the commotion and saw the dagger sticking out of one of the bandit’s shoulders. Blake was already reaching for another. Yang followed her lead, raising her shield to deflect an arrow. It slammed against the metal with a clang. She felt another impact before the leader screamed. “Don’t shoot! You’ll hit the horses!” 

This would be too easy. Yang stepped in front of Blake, protecting her from one side while Bumblebee covered the other. Shroud was dancing and rolling his eyes with terror at the scent of fire and blood that filled the air. Yang didn’t worry about either of them. Bumblebee was a trained warhorse, and Shroud was a fine palfrey. They were a tempting target for thieves like this. Quality horses were hard to come by in the middle of nowhere, and the bandits would be reluctant to swing their weapons too close to them for risk of losing their prize. 

The bandits charged as individuals, not all at once like a disciplined unit. Apparently, they weren’t dissuaded by Yang’s show of power. Fine. There was a reason she was known for her strength of arms. Her trick with the fire was a trivial expression of the power in her mother’s bloodline. It wasn’t by any means something she could live and die by like a true mage.

Yang met them head-on, catching an ax on her shield and lashing out with a wide sweep of her sword to keep the others at a distance. Their armor was surprisingly high quality, though most of it looked like it had seen better days. They would try to stay well clear of her. She heard Bumblebee scream and rear behind her, hooves flashing to keep the bandits away from him the way he was trained.

Yang had already fallen into the rhythm of battle, slamming the flat of her blade against the wrist of one of the bandits. Though she aimed to injure rather than maim, the bandit dropped her club with a howl and clutched her wrist. It was at the very least sprained. A spear glanced off Yang’s armored thigh, but she didn’t have time to retaliate as two of the bandits broke off to charge at Blake. Yang threw herself into their path, bracing herself behind her shield as they slammed into her. She barely stumbled while the bandits were knocked back, dazed.

“I can take care of myself,” Blake protested from behind Yang.

“Can you take a hit?” Yang asked. She grunted as one of the bandits slipped past her defenses. His weapon couldn’t pierce her armor, but she still felt the impact. Her side throbbed momentarily until adrenaline took over and she could no longer feel it. She slammed the edge of her shield into his face. His nose crunched under the blow, spraying blood as he screamed.

“Can you do this?” Blake muttered a few words and the air rippled with invisible power. The two bandits who Yang knocked off balance suddenly went limp. They stared at the sky and howled with terror at something only they could see. Yang used the distraction to kick one of them inside their knee. They went down screaming, and she disarmed the other quickly after that.

“Neat trick. Mind letting me see the next one?” She raised her sword for an overhand swing, bringing it down into the handle of an ax. The edge bit into the wood. With another blow, it splintered entirely.

“Trust me, you won’t want to.” She ducked under Yang’s arm to stab the bandit she just disarmed. The buzz of magic filled the air once again as Blake disappeared into shadow the moment she drove the blade home, reappearing behind Yang.

“And in the meantime, you’ll use me as a shield. I suppose that’s alright. I’m more than willing to risk life and limb for my fair companion.” Yang winked, even though it couldn’t be seen through her visor. Blake sighed with annoyance. 

“You’re the one who offered,” she said. She threw a dagger at one of the last bandits, who had become wise to her tricks. He ducked, and it flew off into the forest, disappearing into the brush. Yang used the distraction to pour on one final burst of aggression and engaged their remaining foes. The one who dodged the knife was already off balance and fell on his ass. Yang exchanged a few blows with the last one before finally overpowering him and cracking him over the head with the pommel of her sword. He fell to the dirt with the rest of his companions.

Yang’s shoulders heaved as she fought for breath. She was burning up inside her armor from the heat of exertion. Even a short battle made sweat pour from her forehead. She raised her visor, the inside of which was covered in soot, letting fresh air hit her face. For a few moments, she simply stood with her eyes closed, trying to regain her wind. 

A few moments was all she needed to collect herself. She wiped her sword on the grass before sheathing it. Not the best way to clean it, but it would do for now. She turned to Blake with a critical eye assessing for injuries.

“We made a pretty good team,” she panted, referring to the bandits lying in various states of consciousness around them.

Blake ignored her and walked over to where the bandit leader was groaning on the forest floor. Her gait was smooth, and her hood hadn’t so much as shifted on her head. Relief poured over Yang. Her shield arm was numb from deflecting blows, and she could already feel a number of bruises forming under her armor where the bandits slipped past her defenses. It was worth it if her companions were unscathed. Bumblebee stayed put, completely unshaken by the heat of battle. He was already nosing around for grass. Shroud was less sure, but Bumblebee’s calm demeanor helped soothe him without any intervention needed from Blake or Yang.

The bandit leader distracted her from her examination with a scream. Yang turned to find Blake standing over him with one foot on a wound in his stomach. The end of her cloak trailed in the dust as she leaned her weight on him, crushing the air from his body. Yang gulped.

“Please...spare us,” he choked out. “We’re sorry...we’re sorry.” Blake laughed lightheartedly, opposing her harsh demeanor.

“These are definitely the people we’re looking for,” she said. She leaned over him, resting her elbow on her knee. Her dark hair screened her face as she did. “Take us to your leader. We need to speak with her.”

“Ack, yes. Of course! Owww.” Blake pushed off of him the moment he agreed, inflicting one last bit of pain to assert her authority.

While Blake intimidated their leader, the other bandits were collecting themselves. Yang kept one hand on her sword and a close eye on them in case they tried anything else. She feinted toward one, who fell back down with a yelp.

“Yup. They’re harmless,” Yang said. Blake watched the exchange with the smallest smile turning up the corners of her mouth. She looked more relaxed than she had since she was asleep, despite recently having to fight for her life. 

Yang swung herself back into the saddle, letting Blake fend for herself to keep up her authoritative appearance. A few of the less wounded bandits were rallying around their leader, helping him sit up. They set off, following the bandits limping pace. A few of them looked longingly at their horses, only to plant their gaze on the ground when Yang turned her fearsome helm in their direction. Blake may have been confident in their victory, but Yang wasn’t going to let her guard down in shady company like this.

Speaking of shady company, while she watched the bandits out of wariness, Yang also kept an eye on her companion. Blake surprised her during and after the fight. She obviously had to be able to take care of herself to travel alone in these times, but her comfort among these cutthroats threw Yang off. 

She’d been wondering about her past since they met. Before this encounter, Yang thought perhaps she was a mage. She was powerful enough from what Yang had seen to train anywhere she wanted. Now she knew her theory was clearly wrong. Blake was too comfortable in this situation, walking like this was company she kept often. Mages trained in stuffy towers without much contact with the outside world. There’s no way one would be at home with a bunch of bandits.

As much as she was trying to concentrate in such a serious moment, the image of Blake hovering over the bandit leader kept poking out of her subconscious. It made her breath catch in her throat a little, even though now was absolutely not the time. They were on a quest that required Yang’s full attention. Her subconscious would have to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

As they followed the bandits to their camp, Blake clutched her reins tightly to hide how much her hands shook with relief. She was still coming down from the adrenaline of the fight. There were a few moments at the beginning when they were caught off guard and she worried about the outcome. Had she been alone, it would have been very different. Her magic wasn’t naturally suited for combat. It was why she’s always been more effective with someone else by her side. 

She and Yang certainly made quite a team. Yang’s reputation was well earned, both for her strength and skill as well as her magic. Blake had to give her credit for creating such a strong identity. A Dragon Knight who actually breathed fire. Blake shook her head and chuckled to herself. She sure knew how to pick her companions.

Blake’s relief didn’t last long. As the adrenaline from the fight faded, Ilia’s words nagged at the back of her mind. She’d managed to shove them away, but now they were so close to their destination they were back. Whatever weapon protected these bandits, it wasn’t used by the ones she just fought. She had absolutely no clue what it could be, and she was still walking into a deathtrap. There was no sign of imminent death, and Blake forced herself to relax. She was wasting energy worrying when it was possible they could get the information they came for without a fight.

Despite everything she did to put herself at ease, Shroud proceeded nervously, feeding off her agitation. Yang gave her a few curious glances when he nearly collided with Bumblebee, but Blake ignored them and focused on forging ahead. She tried to distract herself with steadying breaths, taking advantage of the respite. Magic was exhausting to use, and while the fight hadn’t taken as much out of her as it would have without Yang there to take up attention, the more of her energy she could reserve in case of an emergency the better.

It didn’t help that the closer they came to the camp, the deeper into the forest they went. Though they’d been traveling through trees for some time time now, there was a distinct shift in the scenery around them. The undergrowth grew thicker, and a gray moss clung to the trunks of trees. A light mist hung in the air even though it was long past the time of day it should have burned off. In some ways, Blake was glad to have an escort through the unfriendly forest.

The camp they were led to was surrounded by a wooden wall made of upright logs. They were sharpened at the top, and she spotted a few watchers crouching behind the points. They were well hidden, for untrained rogues. Blake had been keeping an eye out for ambushes for years now. They weren’t good enough to fool her.

She stuck close to Yang as they entered through the lone gate. The knight’s visor went down as soon as they were through. They dismounted once inside. Blake’s hand tightened on Shroud’s reins as the gate shut behind them. There would be no easy way out now. 

Whispers followed them as they were led into the heart of the camp. It was moderately sized, made of mostly tents and only a handful of permanent structures. She imagined they had to move around a lot, with the Grimm and Mistral breathing down their necks. Only the essentials were permanent. Blake had to consciously suppress the feeling of familiarity that welled up in her chest at the sight. It wasn’t so long ago she found safety in similar camps with similar company.

They were led to an open square smack dab in the middle of the camp. Across from them was a single-storied building that looked like a bizarre mixture of permanent structure and tent. It was large enough to be impressive only compared to the rest of the settlement, though there was a small raised porch attached to the front of it that could double as a stage. 

A woman with short hair and tan skin stood on the porch, lording over the square. A messenger must have been sent about the visitors as they passed through the gate. She stood confidently with her hands on her hips, lithe arms shown off by the sleeveless padded vest she wore. Her icy blue stare did it’s best to freeze Blake in place. Blake brushed it off. She’d seen more intimidating. If this was the tribe’s leader, she had this well-handled.

Unfortunately, doubt hung over her confidence like a shadow. She was trying not to show the illogical fear squashed to the far corners of her mind. She was intimately familiar with dealing with this type of dangerous figure, but since she left that life behind it made her uncomfortable to be back. Still, she was clearly the best of the two of them to handle negotiations. From the way Dame Chivalry jumped every time one of the bandits moved, she had far less experience talking to such a crowd. She’d already proven adept at tossing them around in combat. Afraid wasn’t the right word to describe Yang; she was more ready for violence. And that was worse than afraid in this situation.

“Let me handle this,” Blake murmured as they stepped up to the porch. Yang said nothing, which Blake took as a sign she would cooperate.

“If I heard correctly, you insulted my people, roughed them up, coerced our location out of them, and then waltzed right into our establishment without so much as introducing yourselves.” The woman on the stage said, cutting right to the chase. Her voice echoed in the open air, and the audience listened in utter silence. “Excellent start to getting into our good graces.”

“I think the story you heard is likely filtered and exaggerated,” Blake said. “Your people did try to steal our horses.” 

“In our territory, ownership means nothing unless you have the strength to back up your claim.” With only the briefest of motions, the woman’s hands flicked toward the blades at her hips.

“You should see the state of your people. If that isn’t proof enough of our strength, we’d be happy to give another demonstration.” Slipping back into this threatening banter was scarily easy. It seemed no matter how hard she tried, Blake couldn’t shake her past.

“Why have you sought us out?” The woman barked. Blake grimaced. They’d hardly even exchanged pleasantries. Isolated tribes were the worst to deal with. They had no respect for the social graces of civilized criminals.

“We’re looking for someone.” For the first time, the crowd broke their silence as a ripple of surprise went through it. “No one here. We have no quarrel with you.”

“If not one of us, then who are you searching for?” Blake watched the woman’s face for the slightest of expressions.

“A knight with a red rose on her shield. You cast a wide net. Surely you must have heard something about her. She’s not exactly subtle.” Blake spoke with the confidence of experience. She had been to towns their quarry had passed through. The Rose Knight left her mark on every single one. And she saw the way everyone in Higanbana stared at Yang as she passed. She had a feeling they would be talking about the knight in gold for a while, even if she hadn’t done anything heroic to warrant such gossip.

“Even if we did know anything, why would we share that information with you?” There was a flash in her eyes that told Blake everything she needed to know. They had the location of the Rose Knight. Or at least enough information to get them close.

“To send us on our way. We wish to bother you as little as possible.”

“And wounding our people falls in line with your words? I don’t think so.” 

Blake suppressed the urge to stomp her foot. This woman was unwilling to see anyone’s point of view but her own. She mastered herself before speaking. “We left them all alive. That should count for something.”

“Every drop of our blood you shed invokes a tenfold debt on our behalf. You left them alive only to walk right into our domain. Forgive me if I wish to even the score before you ask anything else of us.” 

Blake opened her mouth to respond, but Yang beat her to the punch. “Alright, this is clearly going nowhere. You speak of debts yet refuse to acknowledge that by attacking us first your people waived responsibility for any harm that came to them.” Her presence washed over the camp and every eye turned on her. It seemed impossible not to. Even Blake was transfixed.

“And what do you know of responsibility, arrogant knight?” The woman’s eyes narrowed, displeased at having a wild card thrown into the negotiation.

“I know out here it’s every person for themselves.” Yang drew her sword and pointed it at the woman on the stage. It gleamed in the sunlight, just like the rest of her armor. She was both too bright to look at and impossible to look away from. “We settle this debt in one on one combat. If I win, you’ll answer our questions. If you win, I’ll pledge my blade to defend this manor.”

“Yang, what are you doing?” Blake hissed. It was an extremely tempting offer. Extra swords and people who could use them were precious these days, especially trained knights. She grabbed Yang’s shoulder, hoping to lower her sword and revoke the challenge. Yang was too strong, and it was too late.

“I do like the idea of The Dragon Knight bound to us,” the woman said, tapping the crescent-shaped blades at each of her hips. “Very well. On the caveat of no magic allowed, I accept your challenge.” A cheer went up amongst the crowd. A crew rushed toward their leader, bearing leather armor which they worked to dress her in. They shooed Blake and Yang to the far end of the square to make their own preparations. 

“Vernal is going to kick your ass,” a teenager spat at them. They knew her name now, at least. Too little too late. Blake turned on Yang, who was watching them set up the ring with her visor down. Blake glared at the dragon-shaped profile, finally able to break the spell Yang held over her.

“That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. What were you thinking? I had it handled,” Blake growled.

“You don’t have to do everything by yourself,” Yang said. “Besides, sometimes you have to know when people aren’t going to budge. She wasn’t going to. I could tell.”

“We’d barely even started negotiating.” Blake felt very small next to the expressionless carapace of Yang in armor. Gods she was tall. And infuriating. “You’re going to get yourself killed.” Yang fought honorably, and this bandit certainly wouldn’t.

“No backing down now I suppose.” For the first time, Yang turned to look her in the eye. Through the slit in her visor, Blake saw her wink. “Glad to see you care about me, though.”

Cold fury washed over Blake. “I’m concerned about what happens to our common goal if you get trapped here forever.”

“Alright then. Guess I’ll just have to win.” They were done outlining the arena. Someone stepped forward out of the crowd to be the judge. “Please don’t interfere. My word is my bond, you know.”

“And here I was thinking you were level headed.”

“I’m a reformed daredevil. I’m allowed to have relapses.” The judge waved her over and Yang unlatched her cloak from her pauldrons. She draped it over her saddle. “Keep Bumblebee company. He gets lonely,” she said before jogging off. Blake exchanged a look with the horse.

“Hi,” she said flatly. Bumblebee snorted in her face. She held his reins in one hand and Shroud’s in the other, standing between the two horses. This was a nightmare scenario.

Vernal was already in the arena. In each hand, she held one of her strange crescent-shaped blades. She took a few swipes at the air with them, warming up or showing off Blake couldn’t tell. Yang stepped over the knee-high rope and crossed her sword in front of her shield. She stood completely still, waiting for the judge to call the match. Blake clutched the reins in a grip of iron, needing something to do. Far above a raven was circling. Blake tried not to be superstitious, but the hair on the back of her neck prickled at the sight of the bad omen.

The judge stepped into the middle of the ring. In a backwater duel like this, such authority was there only to begin the match, not hold the fighters to any code of honor. “Fight to the yield,” he announced, then waved a red scarf in the air. 

Immediately the two warriors leaped for one another. Yang kept her weapons close to her center, letting Vernal aggressively test her defenses like a wasp bothering a tortoise. Metal clashed against metal, filling the camp with an ear splitting din that nearly drowned out the shouts and grunts of the fighters.

Vernal sacrificed technique for pure speed, battering Yang with as many strikes as she could. She went to smash Yang’s face in and Yang deflected with her shield. While her opponent was off-balance, Yang raised her sword for an overhand swing. Vernal recovered just in time to dodge to the left. Yang’s sword hit the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. Vernal went in for a strike at Yang’s sword arm, slamming her weapon into her forearm. Yang barely winced. 

Blake ground her teeth into nubs as she watched the fight. Vernal danced around Yang who was all but stationary in comparison. The knight took blow after blow on her shield, her sword, even a few that made it past her defenses. In light armor, Vernal was much more nimble, but if Yang could get a single hit the fight would be over for her. 

Despite her best efforts, Yang couldn’t land a blow. She had to attack conservatively, but even waiting for perfect opportunities, Vernal danced right out of the way. Yang growled in frustration. The longer this went on the more exhausted she would become. They’d already fought once today and spent hours traveling. She couldn’t have much reserve left.

Vernal darted around Yang, who was too slow to keep her in front of her. Before Yang could turn, Vernal kicked her in the middle of her back. Yang stumbled, taking a few steps forward so she wouldn’t fall. It took her closer to the crowd, which screamed and shrank back to avoid being crushed. She spun to face Vernal, who leaped at her with the ferocity of a wolf. Blake gnawed on her lip with worry as she struck.

Yang pulled herself together enough to raise her shield. She caught the edge of it in the middle of the crescent blade. Though Blake never took her eyes off the fight, she had no idea how Yang managed to swing around that quickly. Her jaw dropped ever so slightly, trying to get a breath in through the tightness in her throat.

The two fighters struggled against the stalemate until Yang summoned her strength. She flung her arm out to the side with a yell, tearing the weapon from Vernal’s hand. It clattered to the floor and Vernal yelled in retaliation. She launched herself forward, slamming her remaining weapon into Yang’s head. Her helmet flew off, exposing her face for the first time. It landed noisily some distance away. Off-balance, Yang toppled backward and crashed to the ground. Her cry of pain was nearly masked by her armor crashing against the ground. Vernal wasted no time leaping on top of her.

“No!” Blake cried out, taking an involuntary step forward. Her shout was lost to the cheering crowd, which pressed closer to the fight and blocked Blake’s view. 

The noise settled as Blake shoved her way through the crowd, barely able to breathe around the crush of it. Her stomach sank to see Vernal on top of Yang, the points of her remaining weapon pressed against her throat. Both of them were covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Yang’s shield arm was splayed to the side, leaving her completely unprotected. Vernal had one foot on her wrist, trapping her in the position.

“I win,” Vernal panted.

“Not quite,” Yang said. Blake gasped in realization. From her perspective, Yang’s right side was mostly hidden by Vernal on top of her, but she saw a flash of steel at Vernal’s torso. She was nearly impaled on Yang’s sword.

Vernal realized at the same time Blake did. She scrambled back, stepping hard on Yang’s wrist and eliciting a grunt of pain from her. Vernal’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and her gaze darted around to look at the crowd like she was trapped. Like she didn’t know what to do with a draw.

“Another round, then,” she announced as Yang slowly sat up. Yang’s groan was drowned out by the cheering crowd. This was entertainment for them, and the two warriors were certainly putting on a show.

Blake started forward, ready to argue that calling for a second duel was in poor spirit. If she didn’t argue against it, Yang never would. Before she was able to get a word out, the raven she noticed earlier dove from the sky, rocketing toward the fighting ring. It nearly hit the ground before a flash red magic blinded Blake. In that brief moment, the bird disappeared and a woman dropped into the ring between Vernal and Yang, who was still on the ground. Blake took a step back in shock.

The woman was the first person in this camp to have a semblance of armor. Red gauntlets covered her forearms, and she wore a breastplate of the same color. The rest of her clothing was black, like her mane of hair that was even longer than Yang’s. She settled into a casual stance, one hand draped over her sword in a vaguely familiar pose.

Vernal instantly dropped to one knee. Blake was more interested in Yang’s reaction. She sat dumbly, mouth wider than when she found out Blake was a Faunus. Her sword fell from her hand as she stared.

“Well fought, both of you,” the strange woman said, an air of command apparent in her voice. Vernal scrambled to her feet while the woman offered a hand to Yang.

Yang glared at it, her eyes blazing red like they did just before she breathed fire in their scrap on the road. She slapped the woman’s hand away and rose of her own volition, snatching up her sword. That was a surprise on top of many. Who was this woman who could elicit such a rude response from the knight? Blake rushed forward before she could do anything else stupid, hoping to do some damage control.

“I think we can all appreciate the skill demonstrated by our own Vernal. And of course, Dame Yang Xiao Long, The Dragon Knight,” the woman said. The tribe cheered and clapped. Blake finally reached Yang’s side. She was trembling with exhaustion, or so Blake thought until she looked closer. It was fury carved into her face and posture. “Someone rub down these horses. I think our visitors have earned an audience with me.” Gods, would everything just slow down!? Too many things were happening for Blake to keep up with.

Playing catchup, she realized it was naive to think Vernal was the leader of this tribe. They were far too slippery to risk their leader in a duel. With the arrival of the other woman and her immediate deference, Blake altered her mental placement of Vernal’s rank to second in command. The true leader was already sauntering off to the central building as someone rushed to follow her orders. Blake felt a tug on Bumblebee’s reins and looked to Yang for the ok.

“Whatever,” Yang snarled, snatching her cloak off his back. Blake was shocked. Bumblebee was her pride and joy, as she’d shown multiple times now. Something was clearly wrong.

“Yang, do you know that woman?” Blake asked. Yang didn’t even look at her, only stalked off to retrieve her helmet. Someone leaped up to claim it for themselves and she snatched it out of their hands. “Yang!” The furious knight finally turned to her. Her red eyes were off putting, and Blake took a step back. She must have been beyond angry.

“She’s my mother,” Yang growled.


	7. Chapter 7

Exhausted from her multiple fights and long travel, this last surprise was almost too much for Yang to handle. Her mind was empty except for fury. What were the odds that as soon as she abandoned her quest to find her mother that she would literally drop from the sky on her next one? It was completely absurd, and she followed Raven to the main house mechanically. The crowd was still buzzing from excitement at the fight. Yang barely heard them. She held her sheathed sword in a death grip, worried that her hand would shake if she didn’t.

Raven disappeared into her tent and Yang started up the few steps to join her, only to feel a hand on her shoulder holding her back.

“I understand this is very emotional for you, but don’t let that cloud your judgment. There is much more under the surface than there first appears, and we need to be careful with how we approach this,” Blake said. Yang’s first instinct was to be furious that Blake would try to stick her nose where it didn’t belong, to give advice about facing trauma she knew nothing about. Then, she exhaled, letting her poisonous anger leave on her breath. This was Raven getting under her skin. She always had a way of drawing out the worst in Yang.

“I won’t,” she promised. “It was just the surprise getting to me.” She paused for a moment, letting Blake’s words sink in. “What do you mean there’s more going on here?”

Blake held her gaze, her face a careful mask of calm. “You’re better than most at sensing magic. Have you noticed anything off about the forest?”

“Not particularly. Why, do you sense something?” Yang asked, quick to move the conversation away from her own affinity for magic. With how upset Raven’s appearance made her, she would have had a difficult time sensing anything. She didn’t want Blake to know just how deep her weakness ran.

Vernal leveled a burning glare at them before Blake could respond. “Are you going or not?” She asked. Blake and Yang exchanged a look, mentally agreeing to table their discussion for later.

“Maybe Raven will be more inclined to help us? Motherly instinct and all.” Blake’s words sounded optimistic, but Yang could see the calculation in her eyes. She was so close to figuring out exactly what their relationship was really like.

Yang scoffed. “She is the least maternal woman I’ve ever known. I wouldn’t count on our family ties doing us any favors.” Without further ado, she shouldered her way into the tent. At least Blake had an inkling of what they were walking into now and wouldn’t try to play up that angle.

Inside was dim, lit only by a handful of lanterns. Yang allowed her eyes to adjust before going any deeper. It was furnished with makeshift items. Crates and boards made shelves for Raven’s belongings. There was a screen on the right that divided off a small area, probably a bedroom. Despite the impermanence of this camp, there was a low, sturdy table in the center of the room, surrounded by cushions. Raven was kneeling at it in front of a tray with a chipped tea set on it.

“Please sit,” she said. “Have some tea.” Yang lowered her aching body to the floor as far away from Raven as she could get. She sat cross legged, lacking the strength to balance on her knees at the moment. Blake sank down beside her in a more proper posture.

“I’ll pass, thanks,” Yang said. She hoped her voice didn’t betray her inner struggle to control her temper. Though she’d gotten better at doing so in the past months, this meeting was unexpected and challenged the limits of her newfound self-control. Blake said not a word, following Yang’s lead.

Raven poured them each a cup anyway. “First of all, I must commend you on that fight. Taiyang spared no expense in training you, but you fight like a Branwen.” Gods, everything this woman said was specifically tailored to piss Yang off, wasn’t it? That was what she did. Lie and manipulate and get under people’s skin. “I did keep an eye on you, making sure he raised you to be strong.”

“I’d prefer if you’d leave my father out of this,” she said coolly. She sipped her tea, which she barely tasted. Raven’s every motion was casual, and Yang wished she would show any emotion other than cool aloofness. It was driving her insane.

“If that is your wish, very well,” she said. “It’s been far too long, daughter.”

“You didn’t exactly make it easy to find you,” Yang growled, temper flaring. “I tried to for years. If you watched me like you said you did, you’d know all the lengths I went. And all this time, you were playing at ruling your own little kingdom.”

“Is that any way to speak to your mother?” Raven asked, raising her voice for the first time. “Life isn’t easy, Yang. If it were, King Ozpin would still be alive, and neither of us would have to suffer the way we have.” Finally, Yang got a rise out of her. And it was terrifying. Her red eyes burned and her nostrils flared as she glared across the table, pinning Yang to her seat with the intensity of her expression. This must have been what it was like when other people fought the Dragon Knight.

“You must pardon Yang for her rudeness. Today has been long and filled with surprises,” Blake said. Yang blinked. She nearly forgot Blake was there. Raven turned on her as well, fury sustained for only a brief moment before she cooled off once more.

“It is I who must apologize for dragging you into our family drama,” she said, appearing completely collected. The only crack in her demeanor was when she set her goblet down hard enough to rattle the dishes on the table. “Unfortunately we have not been made familiar and I allowed my relation with Yang to overshadow our introduction. I am Lady Raven Branwen. Welcome to my tribe…”

“Blake.” Yang hid a smile. Raven was building herself up with her self granted title, and Blake brought her momentum crashing to a halt. 

Raven sighed and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “I see you both have your minds set on being difficult. Very well. Shall we discuss why you’re here?” She was taking the hint at last. All the teatime graces in the world could not hide the fact that this was a business meeting, nothing more. “I heard what happened to you at the fall of Beacon, Yang. I’m glad you sought me out, though it was long overdue.” Raven’s eyes, filled with something akin to pity, flicked to Yang’s mechanical arm.

Yang fought the urge to hide her arm beneath the table. Damn this woman and her inability to see beyond her own self-importance. Few people knew what happened to her at Beacon for a reason, and Raven brought it up without any thought to how raw it still was for Yang. 

Even worse, Blake shifted as Raven’s words piqued her interest. Yang never explained that the loss of her arm was tied to the fall of Beacon. Since Blake was a Faunus, she didn’t want their growing relationship to be tainted by her involvement in one of the worst conflicts between humans and Faunus in generations.

“I’ve never needed you to protect me,” Yang said. “I’m strong enough to pick myself up and help those I care about. That’s all that matters.”

“If you were truly strong, you wouldn’t have been knocked down in the first place,” Raven said dismissively. “Though I admire your commitment to your people. We are similar, in that way. As you can see, I keep my people safe here. You could be one of them, Yang.”

“What?” If Yang had the strength, she would have leaped to her feet. “That’s why you think I’m here? To join you?”

“Why else would you be? You’ve finally come to your senses about the barbarism of that world of steel and politics. Though I must say, it’s taken you longer than I thought it would, and you’ve lost more than you should have.” This woman was insane. First she insulted Yang, then invited her into the fold? Did she really believe that would be enough to entice Yang into following in her cowardly footsteps?

“Joining you is the last thing I want. I only came here because you’re my best chance of finding my sister,” Yang said, heat racing through her veins and making her skin burn.

“That’s all? Not to see your dear old mother?” The steadiness in Raven’s voice did not betray the twitch of agitation at the corner of her mouth. Blake too was coiled tightly, ready to react at a moment’s notice.

Yang steeled herself, letting Raven’s words fall off her like Vernal’s blows on her shield. “No. Ruby is my quest now. I’ve already given you my time and energy, more of it than I should have. If you’re not going to give us anything useful, we should be on our way.”

“Why would you want to leave this place?” Raven asked. Her voice was smooth as it wormed into Yang’s ear through the cracks in her armor. She suppressed a shudder and tried not to let it get to her. “Here you would be safe. You wouldn’t have to fight but rarely. And as my daughter, you would be revered. It’s a legacy you’ve already proven yourself worthy of.”

Yang couldn’t keep neutral any longer. She gripped her teacup so hard it shattered, leaving her dripping with boiling tea. “Oh, so  _ now _ you’re proud of the legacy you want to pass on to me? Not the one you and Uncle Qrow fought and bled to carve out in Vale? Not the one you abandoned when things got too hard?” With each question, her voice got louder and louder. She’d nearly risen to her feet, and her rage was still climbing.

A hand on her arm distracted her for a moment. Blake, reaching over from her seat to get Yang to cool down. Her touch sent a tide of soothing comfort through her, and Yang slumped down into her cushion. Blake was right, of course. She was playing right into Raven’s hands.

“Tell us where The Rose Knight is, and we’ll be on our way,” she said. It was an anticlimactic ending to her rampage. The story of her life when it came to Raven.

“Even if I cared for you to complete your little quest, I wouldn’t help,” Raven said emotionlessly. “I already offered you one way to remain, but perhaps I have not made myself clear. You cannot leave now that you know our location. It puts our people in too much danger.”

“The hell we can’t,” Yang growled. “You can’t keep us here.”

“Oh, but I can. And unfortunately, since you refused my offer, your stay will be less pleasant than if you accepted.” Raven snapped her fingers, and suddenly the tent was filled with bandits armed to the teeth. Vernal was among them, and she went right for Yang. She felt the points of her weapon against the back of her head and cursed herself that she hadn’t put her helmet back on. Blake was no better off. With steel inches from her chest, any spell she tried to cast would be incomplete by the time the weapons sank home. Nearly as much fury radiated off of her as Yang.

“Take their weapons and detain them,” Raven ordered. Yang’s sword belt was unbuckled and passed around to Raven, who placed the blade across her lap. Yang’s vision went white with fury, and she barely noticed her shield disappeared into the crowd. From Blake, they took more knives than Yang could count. She seethed at the loss of each one, fury radiating off of her clearly even with her face hidden.

The bandits hauled them to their feet. Yang shook them off, determined to maintain at least some dignity despite her numerous pains. Blake did the opposite, going completely limp to protest the treatment by making it more difficult for them.

“There’s always time for you to come around, my dearest Yang,” Raven called after them as they left the tent. Yang didn’t give her the satisfaction of looking back.

They were detained in a large cage at the edge of the camp. There were several lined up in a row, blocked from plain view by the rows of tents. Yang and her companion were roughly thrown into one of the larger ones together. Yang fell to her hands and knees, just barely keeping herself from breaking her nose on the steel bottom. Judging by the scratch marks inches she could see from up close, these cages held animals once upon a time. Next to Yang, Blake landed on her side and didn’t move. Yang couldn’t believe how quickly things went downhill. Since the moment Raven revealed herself, they’d been faced with one bad event after another. About the only thing still going for her was that they hadn’t stripped her of her armor. They never should have trusted bandits.

As soon as their captors locked the door behind them, Yang threw her helmet to the floor and slammed her fist into one of the metal bars. It shrieked in protest as her gauntlet scraped against it. Aside from a light scuff mark the blow hardly affected the cage.

“Careful! I’m not tracking down another artificer if you ruin your hand,” Blake said. Yang scowled. She barely felt it. Her artificial hand could take far more punishment than that. Not that anyone would know. Yang took great care to keep such an advantage hidden. It worked well in the fight against Vernal, who struck her arm a few times. Before she lost it, those blows would have slowed her down immensely. There was one thing her prosthetic was good for.

“That was terrible. We walked right into a trap,” Yang said. Her emotions were all over the place, spooling out from where she frantically shoved them away in order to confront Raven. She was still reeling from the reunion with her mother and the adrenaline of the fight.

“It’s not like we could have known.” Yang leaned her forehead against the bars, letting the cool metal soothe her. It was true and infuriating. All these years Yang spent searching for her mother for nothing, only to stumble across her accidentally after finally realizing that obsessing over her was more destructive than worthwhile. The universe was cruel indeed.

“I wish I did,” Yang said. She closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling.

“I take it you didn’t part on the best of terms,” Blake said. Yang sighed. They were in this mess together. Blake deserved the whole story.

“Not many people remember, but she was a knight of Vale before I was born. I’m sure she doesn’t advertise it, even though she fought tooth and nail to gain the title back in the day. My dad says before things got rough, she was a paragon of chivalry. People looked up to her to protect them from Grimm. But something happened to break her resolve. She left me with my dad when I was a baby. She just couldn’t handle it anymore.” She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ground.

“My family has served Vale for generations. She and my uncle were the first Branwens to pledge to King Ozpin, but the Xiao Longs have been there since the beginning. That’s the only heritage of mine I’m interested in. Not one of a coward.” She spat the final word, channeling all of her rage and pain into it. 

The story was more complicated than what she relayed. No words could describe the pain and loneliness she felt growing up knowing she was unwanted by at least one parent. Time and introspection dulled the worst of it, but Yang would carry those scars forever. She’d never known how to live without them.

“I understand what it’s like to have a difficult past,” Blake said after a moment of silence. Yang looked up to find her idly rolling the ring she wore around her neck between two fingers. “Not everyone is able to face the harsh realities of our world in a selfless way. You can’t blame her for that.” Her words were too heavy to be gentle platitudes. They sounded like she was speaking from experience. Yang hated that she was right.

She pushed off the bars and turned to face Blake, who was sitting on the far side of the cage with her back to the bars. Yang went over to her, every inch of her body feeling like she was trampled by Grimm.

“We need to get out of here,” she said. It was good to focus her efforts somewhere else other than her pain, even though she was exhausted. “When we do, I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell anyone we ran into her.”

“Some things don’t have to be shared,” Blake dipped her head, “I’ll keep quiet.”

“Thank you.” Yang sat beside her with a groan. Though they were mostly strangers, she had to admit it was nice to have a companion again. While she understood why her friends left her behind, that didn’t mean she couldn’t miss them. Sharing with Blake opened up more wounds than just the ones they spoke of.

As the sun went down, the temperature plummeted. They had not been provided bedding of any kind, and the metal cage was bound to be cool. Yang had her own armor and gambeson as a buffer from it, but next to her Blake was shivering.

“Here,” Yang said, untying her cloak from her pauldrons. She draped the purple fabric around Blake’s shoulders. “It’s going to be cold tonight.”

“What about you?” Blake asked, pushing the cloak away. “I already have one.”

Yang shrugged. “My armor is warm. I won’t have you freezing to death on my conscience. Especially not when I can do something about it.”

“You and your chivalry. I wouldn’t die,” Blake grumbled. She still pulled Yang’s cloak around her shoulders without any further protest. Yang thought she looked better in purple than in black.

“It’s about the principle of the matter,” Yang said. It was definitely colder without her cloak, but the warmth in her chest from Blake accepting the gesture more than made up for it.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” Blake said, pulling back her hood. She looked exhausted as Yang felt, ears drooping and eyes dull.

“That’s alright,” Yang said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

“Can I ask something?” Having nothing left to hide, Yang nodded. “Why doesn’t your mom seem to care about your sister?”

“Oh. That’s because she’s my half-sister,” Yang said. “She isn’t Raven’s daughter.”

Blake’s eyebrows rose as she put it together. “That would explain a lot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yang asked lightheartedly, elbowing Blake gently to let her know she was teasing. Blake gave a small chuckle.

“It’s just I’ve heard stories about the Rose and the Dragon Knights. You aren’t exactly spitting images of each other. Having met your mom, I’d say you take after your dad.” Yang fought to control her blush at the thought of Blake listening to stories about her. Normally she was glad for her reputation, but now she knew Blake personally some of the embellishments were embarrassing.

“Our relationship is more about the emotional bond between us. I traumatized her when we were growing up, she’s dedicated the rest of her life to traumatizing me as payback,” she said, latching on to the one safe topic in sight.

“Sounds like I didn’t miss out,” Blake said.

“You don’t have any siblings?” Blake shook her head. Yang opened her mouth to press, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice coming from another cage.

“Yang Xiao Long, The Dragon Knight, is that you?” Yang jumped, her armor scraping against the bars of the cell. She would know that voice anywhere.

“Weiss?” She called, frantically looking around. She had to be hearing things. There was no way Weiss would be in the middle of a bandit camp in Mistral of all places.

“Over here, you big dummy.” That was definitely her. Yang darted to the side of the cage and peered into the one on their left. What Yang once dismissed as a lump of blankets had shifted, exposing a tattered gray dress beneath them. A pair of blue eyes met her own, a old narrow scar running across the left one.

“Gods, what are you doing here? Are you hurt?” she shoved her hand through the bars, reaching out to Weiss. They were just close enough to hook their fingers together if Yang stretched as far as she could. She held on tightly, heedless that she could crush Weiss’ hand with her sometimes uncontrollable strength.

“I’m fine, physically. Besides being held for ransom. These bandits got a little big for their britches if they thought my father would cave to their demands. I’ve been here for weeks,” she said. She was more disheveled than Yang had ever seen her. Somehow, she managed to retain her air of royalty, even after such an ordeal. She would never cease to amaze Yang. 

“What about you? Don’t tell me you’re here to rescue me only to get captured yourself.” Guilt writhed in Yang’s stomach. She hadn’t even known Weiss left Atlas. Though she hadn’t taken any oaths to the Atlesian crown, Weiss was a dear and long standing friend. If Yang heard she was in trouble, she would have gone running immediately. Instead, she’d been traipsing through the wilderness after her sister.

“Uh, who is that?” Blake asked, distracting Yang from her guilt. Her hood was back up, face safely in shadow. Yang silently thanked her for her perfect timing.

“This is an old friend,” Yang said. She grinned at Weiss, the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind. “And our way out of this cage.”

“How am  _ I  _ supposed to help you out of here when I couldn’t even get myself out after all this time? Trust me, I’ve tried everything.” Weiss’ shoulders slumped. It was odd to see the crack in her otherwise perfect posture. Yang supposed weeks in a cage would rattle anyone, even someone known as the Ice Princess.

“Don’t worry about it. I have a plan.” She gave her hand one final squeeze before dropping it. “My mother loves manipulating people, so I’m going to beat her at her own game.”

“Hold on. Your  _ mother _ ? What does she have to do with any of this? I thought she disappeared.” Yang winced and shared a glance with Blake. Weiss hadn’t been eavesdropping. This was going to be awkward.

“She’s...kind of the leader of this tribe.” She watched Weiss put it together, her expression going from confusion to horror to fury in the space of a heartbeat.

“Your  _ who _ is  _ what now _ ?” Her voice was reaching a truly terrifying pitch.

“Yes, now calm down,” Yang said.

“Your mother has captured and is trying to ransom me, and you’re telling me to calm down?!” She screeched.

“Shut up! You’ll draw the attention of the guard,” Blake hissed.

“And who is this? Another long-lost sister no one knew about?” Yang’s ears burned. Some of her thoughts about Blake were far from sisterly.

“No, but she’s going to be key in getting out of here. Now listen closely…”


	8. Chapter 8

“Guard. Hey! Guard. Guaaaaaaaard!” Yang yelled. The bars were too close together for her to poke her head through, so he was difficult to see. She knew he was there, having overheard him talking with the kid who brought them breakfast.

She, Blake, and Weiss had spent the night hashing out the details of their plan. They only raised their voices as loud as they dared and paused frequently in case anyone was listening. It was as solid as they were going to get with just a few hours to plan, even if Weiss didn’t like how much of it relied on Yang’s ability to lie. She and Blake agreed she was “too noble for deception.” While it was nice to see they could get along, Yang wished they had a little more faith in her. She lied plenty, even if it wasn’t her style. Her part of the plan would be perfect.

So long as she could get the guard’s attention.

“Hey, excuse me, but my mom is your boss. I don’t think she’d like it if she heard you were ignoring my very important request,” Yang said. 

“What do you want?” The guard snapped, finally having enough with her bothering him.

“Tell Raven I’ve given some thought to her offer,” Yang said. That should be interesting enough to grant her an audience, at least. The guard sighed heavily, but she heard his boots scuff in the dirt as he walked away. She turned to Blake and Weiss. “So far so good. Last chance, are you sure you can hold up your end?”

“You wouldn’t trust magic if it saved your life because you can only think with your sword, Yang,” Weiss said. “And yes, I realize how that sounded.” Yang heard the jangle of keys.

“Go,” Blake said. She’d heard it too. “Show us your level head, brave knight.” Weiss giggled while Yang sighed. She’d almost rather they be antagonistic toward each other.

The guards who retrieved her were just as hostile as the ones who threw her in here the previous night. They attached manacles to Yang’s wrists and pulled her out of the cell by them. One kept an arrow nocked at Blake lest she try to slip out when the door was open. Yang didn’t risk a look behind her, worried that it would give their plan away.

Raven’s tent was mostly the same as it was last night. Instead of being lit by oil lamps, which were expensive, several flaps were pulled back to let in daylight. There was no tea set this time, and Raven stood to greet her.

“I hear you’ve reconsidered. That didn’t take long,” she said.

“I meant everything I said last night, and I haven’t changed my mind.” Yang raised her chin in defiance. Raven’s eyes flashed, and she started to speak, but Yang cut her off. “My honor as a knight is why I’m here. I made a deal with Vernal yesterday.”

“The fight ended in a draw, the deal is inert.” Raven waved a hand dismissively. She knew the chivalric code as well as Yang, even though she spat in its face. Yang smiled. The difference between them was clear. The code was Yang’s blood, sweat, and tears. It lifted her out of a place not even her own sister could. It was how she was going to beat Raven.

“It is not. I agree the duel ended in a draw. That means each term must be fulfilled,” she said. “Honor your daughter’s last request as a knight. Because when I join you, I’ll give it all up.”

Raven’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Go on.”

“I swore I would pledge my sword to this tribe if I lost but could ask any question I wished and receive a truthful answer if I won. Therefore, if you tell me where Ruby is, I will stay here and let my companion carry out my quest.”

“This sounds too good to be true,” Raven said bluntly.

“On my honor, it is not.” Yang pressed her fist over her heart, emphasizing the solemnity of her oath. It was an awkward motion with her hands shackled. The chain rattled against her breastplate. Inside, she trembled, knowing it was an oath she was going to break.

Raven drummed her fingers on her chin as she considered the deal. “I admit, all I wanted from this exchange was for you to remain at my side,” she finally said. “I find your terms acceptable.” Yang sagged in relief.

“Thank you, Mother,” she said. The word burned like acid on her tongue, but it was the last blow she needed to cracking Raven’s willpower. Indeed, her cold red eyes softened ever so slightly.

“We’ll release your friend immediately. You may tell her that Ruby was last seen heading to Kuroyuri, which is at the center of our forest. If she survives that deathtrap, she’ll move on to Haven for sure,” Raven said.

“I wish her a safe journey,” Yang said, fighting to keep her voice steady. Ruby was going toward a deathtrap. What was she thinking? “May I say goodbye to my friend and pass on your information?”

“Of course. But first, we should do something about these.” Raven stepped forward and produced a small key. She undid Yang’s shackles. “If you leave the tent without these on, that will be sign enough of my blessing.”

“It will be good to make this place my home,” Yang said, the lies slipping out too easily for comfort. She bowed, letting her eyes flash red for the briefest moment before rising.

“So formal. You’ll find here you won’t need all of those manners drilled into you at Beacon,” Raven said. She pulled Yang into an embrace, resting one hand on the back of her head.

Yang went completely stiff. Raven’s hug was firm, and if she stretched her imagination, she could feel warmth from it. Her arms hung numbly at her sides as her cheek rested on Raven’s shoulder. Slowly, she raised them to return the embrace. Her stomach knotted in discomfort.

“I’m excited for you to join our way of life. And for us to be a family at last.” Raven released her, but her words caught Yang off guard. Tears welled in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. The first hug she’d ever had from her mother, and she was planning on betraying her immediately afterward. Images of her real family flashed in her mind. The thought of Weiss in a cage gave her the strength to speak.

“Yes,” she croaked. “And I as well.” Let Raven believed what she liked about the emotion in her voice. Treachery often couldn’t be seen until it was too late.

* * *

Blake waited impatiently for what seemed like hours. She paced back and forth in the small space she had. The cell was not large by any means, and it was more comfortable as the only person in it. Yang’s absence hurt more than it helped, as Blake could barely sit still long enough to focus on preparing her illusion.

She held the edge of Yang’s cloak that was still draped over her shoulders in a death grip. It brought her just enough comfort to keep from going on a full rampage through this camp. She’d be able to wipe it off the face of Remnant, though she’d expend all her strength and end up alone in the woods in a crater stinking of terror. It would no doubt attract Grimm, which Blake would be in no condition to fight off.

“Will you quit that? You’re making me nauseous just looking at you,” Weiss said from the cage next door. Blake’s lip curled in a sneer Weiss couldn’t see. Her Atlesian accent was enough to put Blake on edge at the best of times. They got on well with Blake’s hood up, but who knew what would happen when it inevitably came down.

“How can you not be worried?” Blake asked.

“You seem to have enough nerves for both of us,” Weiss said. “You must care about her a lot if you’re so anxious.” Blake froze in place.

“We just met,” she said.

“I knew that would get you to stop.” Weiss sounded entirely too pleased with herself. Blake was starting to get the idea that was her natural state of being. “It’s alright. I’m plenty worried too. But I trust Yang with my life. She’ll come through like she always does.”

“What if Raven sees through her act?” Blake knew all about that. Deceit and lies came with every one of her illusions, and she always had to carefully consider how to use them to its greatest effect without tipping people off as to what was happening.

“I don’t think that will be a problem.” Weiss nodded in the direction of the main tent.

Blake ran for the bars of her cage, only just able to see the tent from this angle. She watched Yang emerge, golden armor standing out against the red fabric. There were no manacles on her wrists, and she wore her sword at her hip and shield on her back. Blake could have cried with joy. She restrained herself, watching as Yang held out a hand to the guard who escorted her from the cages. He grumbled as he gave her something small. Yang sauntered off in Blake and Weiss’s direction.

“Did you get it?” Blake asked when she approached. Yang held up the key to her cage.

“I’m sorry we only knew each other for such a short time, but this is how things have to be,” Yang said. Blake wasn’t sure if there were bandits with her or she was just acting for the sake of being melodramatic. The caged squeaked as she opened it. “Your destination is Haven. Safe travels.” She clasped Blake’s hand and slipped her the key. Blake made an exact copy appear in Yang’s hand. It would fade upon scrutiny, but if Yang did what she was told it would buy them enough time to be clear of the camp.

“I’m supposed to escort you out. Make sure you’re really gone,” Yang said. She started walking to the gate, and for all appearances, Blake went with her. Yang chattered as they walked, making Blake smirk. Her illusions were always more convincing when someone was there to sell them.

Hurridly, she went for Weiss’ cage and unlocked it. She opened the door as wide as she dared, wary of creaking hinges. Luckily, Weiss was slender and passed through a small gap. She nodded encouragement at Blake as she relocked the cage. Blake took a deep breath before casting a third and final illusion; the image of Weiss sitting at the back of her cell.

“Let’s go,” she whispered when the illusion was firmly in place.

The strain of keeping up three separate illusions was great enough that Blake let Weiss lead the way to the gate. She almost forgot to be nervous, but her pounding heart betrayed her. As they flitted through the tents, she caught glimpses of Yang walking with the copy of herself. Yang was a noticeable enough figure that she caught the attention of most of the camp, especially when she was trying to draw it.

She made it easier for Blake and Weiss to sneak by. They reached the gate before Yang did and crouched behind a stack of crates, waiting for the right moment. Blake steadied herself. Timing was about to be everything

“Uh oh,” Weiss muttered. “This is going to be harder than we thought.” Blake turned to see what she was looking at. Despair hit at the sight of Raven exiting the big tent. She sauntered toward Yang, who hadn’t spotted her yet.

“What is she doing?” Blake asked.

“Just stick to the plan. You switch with the copy of yourself and disguise me,” Weiss said.

“Uh, aren’t you supposed to be detained?” Blake cringed at the new voice. In their panic, they completely missed one of the bandits sneaking up on them. She and Weiss spun around, and in doing so knocked over one of the barrels. 

“No, no, no!” It was too late. The barrel rolled into a tent, taking it down in a tangle of rope and cloth.

“What the hell!?” The people inside fought against the shelter that was hindering them out of nowhere, writhing like nightmarish lumps under the fabric.

“Well, looks like subtly is out,” Weiss said. Her hands started to glow as she twisted them into precise shapes. 

On the ground in front of them appeared a blue glyph, the same color as Weiss’s hands. The glow intensified, and a 20-foot tall ethereal suit of armor rose out of it. The first bandit screamed as it took a step toward him and Blake couldn’t say she didn’t want to do the same. Her concentration slipped and the illusory version of herself flickered.

“It’s a trick!” Someone shouted. Yang’s head shot up and she looked around with pure confusion. The flicker was too noticeable, and the knight Weiss summoned was drawing too much attention. With a regretful sigh, Blake let her illusions fade and readied herself for a fight. Yang was halfway through drawing her sword when the bandits she’d drawn the attention of converged on her.

“Uh, this isn’t what it looks like?” Yang gave a winning smile to a hostile crowd. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” She lowered her visor and shrugged her shield off her back. 

She disappeared in the swarm, but Weiss and Blake were completely surrounded. They had their own problems to deal with. Blake was completely unarmed, and Weiss’ concentration was on her summoning. Without that, they were all but helpless. The bandits seemed to realize it too and ran to Weiss, knowing she controlled the construct that was ravaging their ranks. Blake stomped on one of the barrels at her feet, splintering it into several pieces. She picked up the longest one and held it out threateningly, ready to defend Weiss so she could concentrate on their larger protector.

“Stop!” Raven’s yell carried over the chaos. The brewing fight fizzled out quicker than it started, bowing to the sheer command Raven exuded. Weiss’ summon vanished and the bandits cleared a path to Yang for their leader. “What is going on here?” Even as she asked, her eyes darted from her daughter to her prisoners, connecting the dots.

The bandits in the collapsed tent finally managed to struggle out at that moment, raising weapons and war snarls. Raven turned her glare on them, and they suddenly looked like they wanted back into the pile.

“I see,” Raven said. “So, this was always going to end in betrayal?”

“You left me no other choice,” Yang said. She was still in a defensive stance, ready to fight the entire camp if necessary. Blake knew she would if it came down to it. “Now, are you going to let us go, or are we going to have to fight our way out of here?”

Raven shook her head. “I cannot believe you would go back on your word like that.” She turned her back on Yang. “We don’t want a traitor like you in our midst. This tribe is built on trust. It’s how we stay strong. Return their belongings!” A few people rushed to follow her orders, disappearing to retrieve the confiscated goods.

“You’re just letting us go?” Yang asked in disbelief.

“What kind of monster would I be to harm my own daughter?” Raven asked. “But make no mistake. This meeting has only made it clear that we have nothing in common. After this, I will no longer consider you family. If you ever come here again, you will be attacked on sight. Am I clear?”

“Perfectly,” Yang said through gritted teeth. She stomped her way over to Blake and Weiss, feinting toward anyone who got too close to scare them off. The bandits leaped over themselves to get out of her path.

They didn’t have to wait long for Raven’s people to return with Blake’s knives and their horses, fully tacked up. Someone handed Weiss an elegant rapier. The tribe made a unified front, surrounding them in a semicircle against the gate. Yang took Bumblebee’s reins. 

“Let’s go. You heard them. We’re no longer welcome.” It was nearly impossible to read her through her visor, but there was no mistaking the thickness in her voice.

They walked out of camp with everyone’s eyes on them. The semicircle shrank with every step they took closer to the gate. Blake wanted to reach out to comfort Yang. It was a force of effort to keep her hands on Shroud’s reins. Now was not the right time or place, and they hardly knew each other. It wouldn’t be right.

“I’m sorry, Yang,” Weiss said as the gates closed behind them.

“We need to get as far away as possible before nightfall,” Yang said flatly. Blake and Weiss exchanged a glance as Yang led them away from the camp. They may have escaped unscathed and with what they came here for, and something a little extra, but Blake worried it was at too high a cost for Yang.


	9. Chapter 9

“We need to put as much distance between us and the tribe as possible,” Yang said mechanically as the trees closed around the walls of the camp, blocking them from view. None of them were under the impression they weren’t being watched, though, and combined with the creepiness of the forest Blake’s skin felt as though it was about to crawl away. She watched their surroundings as Yang helped Weiss mount Bumblebee, waiting until they were both in the saddle before joining them.

They rode silently for the most part, cantering when the path was clear and only slowing when absolutely necessary. A stony silence radiated off of Yang as she barely held herself back from charging off with reckless abandon. She was different that she’d been since Blake met her; angrier and more volatile. While there was a clear explanation, Blake didn’t like what she saw. She hoped this change wasn’t permanent. In lieu of speaking up, she held herself ready to grab Bumblebee’s reins if it looked like Yang’s restraint reached its end.

A short day’s travel was not enough to put them out of bandit territory, and Blake started to worry less about Yang pushing a reckless pace and more about the growing mists and shadows. The further they traveled into this cursed forest, the more uneasy she felt. Her ears were on a constant swivl, keeping up a vigilance that didn’t seem to be shared by her companions.

“We should stop for the night,” Blake said after jumping a third time at a strange sound. Yang looked at her incredulously.

“We’re too close to the camp. It would be better to push on as far as we can,” she said. “You can guide us through the dark, Blake.”

“I’m not sure that would be wise,” Weiss said, placing a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “It’s been a long day, and we don’t know the forest. What happens when the Grimm find us and we’re completely exhausted? We’ll be in no condition to fight them off and we’ll die because you’re being stubborn.”

Yang halted in her tracks, lifeless as the suit of armor Weiss summoned earlier that day. Blake kept her mouth shut, though her legs ached from riding and her eyes burned with exhaustion. Silently, she was glad Weiss said something. Knowing Yang longer made her better able to talk sense into her, and Blake didn’t want to be the target of Yang’s ire. She watched to see what Yang would do, only a little terrified that such an outright challenge would unleash her rage.

After a tense moment, Yang’s shoulders slumped. “You’re right. We should make camp,” she said. She turned to face them for the first time since leaving the camp and raised her visor. “I’m sorry I pushed us so hard.” Her eyes were puffy, like she’d been crying. Blake’s caution immediately crumbled in favor of sympathy. It was obvious in hindsight how disastrous the encounter with Raven had been for Yang. Blake’s heart went out to her.

“It’s alright. Just get your sense back by tomorrow. I’m fine with being the voice of reason, but you’re impossible to reason with when you’re like this.” She was glad Weiss spoke what she couldn’t begin to articulate.

They set up camp in the first clearing they came across, too exhausted to search for the perfect spot. Blake returned Yang’s cloak, though she was loath to part with it. Yang gave her a grateful smile. She needed it more than Blake did, since Weiss accepted her offered bedroll with little protest. She was fast asleep within twenty minutes of their decision to stop for the night. Yang also stretched out with her back to the fire and didn’t move again.

Blake, on the other hand, stayed awake. She stared into the fire they decided was necessary, her mind racing. This quest was getting more complicated than she signed up for. Her companions were either preoccupied or completely oblivious not to show concern at their rapidly changing environment. It certainly didn’t make her excited that she was in a cursed forest with two people who didn’t seem to sense what was going on.

While some of her concerns were expected – she’d never been warm to strangers – to have her faith in Yang called into question was unsettling. Everything that happened with the tribe was extremely emotional for her, but the way she shut down entirely was cause for concern. 

Blake’s fingernails dug into her palms. This was why it was better for her to work alone. Because despite all of her misgivings, she cared about Yang’s wellbeing. She didn’t want to believe the kindness and loyalty Yang had shown her was all an act. Though it was well past time Blake learned not to, she still wanted to see the best in her.

“Are you awake?” The question made Blake jump. Her gaze flicked to Yang, who hadn’t moved an inch. Slowly she rolled over, looking at Blake with the softest expression Blake had ever seen. The firelight danced in her eyes, making it hard to remember the anger that made them so cold earlier. 

“I am,” Blake said.

“I’m sorry about today. I wish you didn’t have to see me like that.” Her gaze shifted, unable to look Blake in the eye. “I can promise you that’s not who I truly am. Everything was very...raw. As you saw, I don’t have great control of my emotions when it comes to Raven. And when I betrayed her, I betrayed what makes me who I am. It made me lose her.”

Blake was silent for a long time, turning over what Yang said to her. She understood what it was like to have that one person who could make you forget yourself. “Your betrayal isn’t what drove her away. Some people are just scared and broken.” She tried not to let experience leak into the words, not quite ready to talk about her own Raven just yet.

Yang wrapped her arms around her stomach. “And that makes them bad? Because you just described me in two words.”

“I didn’t say that,” Blake said, “because that would make everyone bad. It’s the people who don’t work on themselves, embrace their flaws that turn out like her.” She bit her lip to stop herself before she revealed too much, hoping the darkness would cover the motion.

“That’s almost exactly what my father said when he was teaching me how to put myself back together,” Yang said, her eyes glazed over. Blake wasn’t the only one holding back in this conversation.

“What happened to you at Beacon?” She blurted out. The question had been on her mind since Raven brought it up. Yang went rigid, though clearly from terror this time as opposed to the blankness she showed earlier.

“Well, that’s where I lost my arm,” she said slowly. “As I said, its not really...common knowledge, what happened to me, and I don’t mind that it’s not.” Yang’s arm crossed her chest and she rubbed her opposite bicep with gauntleted fingers.

“You don’t have to talk about it.” The last thing Blake wanted to do was push Yang and alienate her further. She’d already had a rough few days.

“It’s ok. I want to tell you. It’s just...not very easy,” Yang said. “I need a minute to think of where to start.”

“Take all the time you need,” Blake said. She could be patient, even though she was dying to know.

Yang shifted quite a bit before beginning her story, unable to decide whether to face Blake or not. She finally settled on angling herself slightly toward her audience before clearing her throat.

“When the White Fang attacked Beacon, I was fighting like all the others.” Her voice was hollow, and Blake could almost imagine the terror of that day. “It was a mess. Chaos everywhere. We barely knew who we were fighting. All we knew was that we had to get to the king. 

“But on my way there, I was cornered. There was a warrior. Stronger than anyone I’d ever faced before. I fought as hard as I could, but he still took my arm, gloating about how he murdered King Ozpin the whole time. It sent me to a dark place for a long time after that, but clawing my way out made me stronger, in a way.” 

Blake watched as she lifted her hands in front of her face, slowly wiggling the fingers of each one while watching intently. She didn’t even seem to realize Blake was there for a few seconds. After a moment, she clenched them into fists. “I want to stop that from happening to anyone ever again.”

Blake was too choked up to speak. She knew Yang likely had history with the White Fang, though she didn’t think it would be quite so traumatic. Today was just a hint of Yang in her dark place. It hurt to imagine her ground down and broken by something Blake once believed in wholeheartedly.

“That’s very noble of you,” she managed to say after a long time, unable to muster any sarcasm. Yang didn’t answer. Her breathing was steady. She must have fallen asleep.

With a sigh, Blake rolled over onto her back. She stared up at the dark foliage, easily distinguishing one branch from the others even in the dark. What would it have been like if she’d met someone like Yang years ago? Someone to help pull her from the darkness so she didn’t have to waste all that time doing it herself. Or to stop her from falling into it in the first place. 

She couldn’t imagine what she would be like. And no matter what, Adam would still be out there hurting other people. In that respect, her and Yang’s goals aligned perfectly. Perhaps the path she was on wasn’t so bad, if it brought them together.

* * *

Blake was the last one awake in the morning. Yang’s helmet and shield were the only signs of her, while Weiss was coaxing a flame from the ash of their fire. Blake sat up and her hood fell from her head. Realizing what happened too late, she cursed to herself but Weiss only spared her a cursory glance. She made no comment about her ears. Blake forced herself to relax. If she was close to Yang, who’d shown no prejudice toward Blake even with her complicated history with the Faunus, then Weiss couldn’t have been all that bad.

“Welcome to the world of the living,” Weiss said. “Yang went to get more water. Do you know if she has a map? I have no idea where we are.”

“She doesn’t, but we’ve been using this to plan our route.” Blake waved a hand and an illusory map appeared on the ground. Weiss raised an eyebrow. “It’s a perfect replica, if that’s what you’re going to ask.”

“Impressive. Where did you train?” She asked, leaning over the map. Blake grimaced at the question. Weiss was obviously trained in a classic mage school, if what little of her technique Blake witnessed was anything to go by. She wouldn’t have much respect for Blake’s trial by fire way of learning.

“I taught myself, mostly. Picked up bits and pieces as I traveled around,” she said, staring hard at her map so she wouldn’t have to look at Weiss.

“Then I suppose it’s no surprise your area of expertise is illusions. That wasn’t an insult. It takes creativity, what you do. Not at all what they teach in Atlas.” There it was. The confirmation of Weiss’ heritage had less of an effect when combined with her compliment.

“Maybe I can teach you a few things,” Blake said haltingly. She didn’t know what protocol most mages assumed about their secrets. What she knew was to share her tricks with allies to better the chance of surviving another day, but that had burned her on occasion before. 

“I would relish an exchange,” Weiss said, looking up from the map. The awe she had for the illusion did not fade when she laid eyes on Blake, who shifted uncomfortably with the attention.

A few minutes later, Blake’s ear flicked toward the blessed sound of crashing through the underbrush. Yang returned to their campsite with a collapsible bucket in hand.

“We didn’t pick a half bad campsite. It only took me fifteen minutes to find a stream.” Her hair spilled over her shoulders, an odd sight contrasted to how she usually wore it pinned up when in armor. The easy smile on her face conveyed she felt no danger at the moment, and it was almost enough to ease the constant prickling on the back of Blake’s neck. It certainly quieted now Yang was in sight. She set the bucket next to Weiss, who began to ration out breakfast. “We need to discuss something. Hopefully now we’re all awake and have processed our emotions, this will feel like less of a personal attack.”

“Everything is always so blunt with you now,” Weiss complained, slopping gruel onto a plate. “Where are the manners you had in court.”

“They got left there. We’re in the wilderness.” Yang waved dismissively. She took her plate and began shoveling food in her mouth like she was trying to prove just how removed they were from civilization. “Speaking of court. What are you, Weiss Schnee, Princess of Atlas and heir apparent to the throne doing in the middle of the woods in Mistral?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Blake exclaimed. It was all she could do not to spill her breakfast all over herself. Any comfort she once felt in Weiss’ presence fled immediately. “You’re the  _ princess _ of Atlas?” This was worse than Blake expected. She knew Atlesians were no friends to the Faunus. To find out she just helped rescue their princess was beyond her comprehension.

Weiss crossed her arms. “Is that reaction really necessary? I was more polite than that when I found out you were a Faunus.” She glared at Yang. “Thank you for that. There’s a reason I didn’t tell her.”

Yang held up her hands defensively. “I thought we should get it out there. In case you weren’t around yesterday, lying kind of bit us in the ass.”

“Thank you for that,” Weiss repeated dryly. She turned to Blake. “Sit down. I’m not going to bite you.” Reluctantly, Blake obliged, if only because Weiss hadn’t actually done anything to threaten her yet. “It’s true, I’m a princess of Atlas. I left, though, because my father’s treatment of the Faunus has driven the world into a terrible state. His cruel decrees and savage laws with which he rules our kingdom are almost single handedly responsible for the White Fang turning to violence.

“Back home, I’m a pawn for my father to use for political savvy when he deems it necessary and keep locked up the rest of the time. Atlas is a stronghold. It can’t conceive of any threat to it and so there is no way to prepare for one. Out in the world, I can actually make a difference, by going to King Lionheart to make sure what happened in Vale doesn’t happen to Mistral. Even if he doesn’t listen to reason, I have other talents that can help secure the kingdom. It would be irresponsible to stand aside and let destruction rein when I can do something about it.” Weiss’ chest heaved. She hadn’t paused for breath her entire speech and seemed just as taken by it as Blake and Yang. She gave a polite little  _ ahem _ and folded her hands precisely in her lap.

“I’m happy to help you get to Haven, but there’s a couple things holding me back from offering you my sword right away,” Yang said after a moment. “First, it’s not just me right now. Blake is with us, too, and we started traveling together before I knew you left Atlas. It’s up to you if you want to let her come with us.” Her lilac eyes turned to Blake. There was no judgment in them, only gentle pleading for Blake’s honesty.

It caught her off guard. Yang was giving her the choice of whether or not Weiss could join the safety of their numbers or not. For a princess, it was certainly dangerous out here alone. The circumstances around their reuninon only proved it. Yang’s trust went a long way for establishing Weiss as no threat to Blake. Something flickered in Blake’s chest to think that Yang valued her in a similar way.

With a start, she realized they were both staring at her. 

“Well obviously we can’t leave you out here alone. The next person to come along might as well try to ransom you again,” she said. A giant smile broke out on Yang’s face as Weiss harrumphed. “There’s safety in numbers, for us as well as you. And besides, didn’t you promise you were going to show me a few tricks?”

“Only because you promised the same,” Weiss said. Her posture visibly relaxed. “Thank you for trusting me. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I hope I don’t.” She held Weiss’ gaze for a long moment. While Yang brought them beyond strangers, Blake knew there was an inherent mistrust between them that could only be resolved with time.

“What’s this other thing you were going to mention, Yang?” Weiss asked without breaking eye contact.

“Mages.” Yang rolled her eyes at their antics. “I was going to say your goals might change when you hear of our quest.”

Weiss finally looked away from Blake to raise an eyebrow at Yang. “You’re always on some quest or another. I’ll need more specific details.”

“Ruby’s going after the leader of the White Fang. We’re tracking Ruby, and last we heard she was going to the city of Haven,” Yang said. “Perhaps a more specific goal than ‘save Mistral from itself’ will be helpful for you.”

“This isn’t a personal vendetta, is it?” Weiss asked. Blake tried not to wince. She wasn’t only in this for revenge. Serving the greater good just so happened to go along with it.

"On my honor,” Yang said, pressing her fist over her heart. Weiss tapped her fingers against her arm, deliberating her choices. Not that she had very many.

“Oh, why not. You two clearly need all the help you can get.” Weiss leaned over the map again, and Yang joined her.

So that was that. Never in a million years did Blake think she’d be working with a knight of Vale and a Princess of Atlas. They certainly were an unlikely bunch. But if that was what it took to stop the White Fang, then so be it. 

Still, it was becoming more and more difficult to claim that a shared goal was all that was linking them together. Despite herself, Blake  _ liked _ these people. And she had a feeling they liked her back. It had been a while since she felt like she belonged in this way, and it was reawakening softer feeling she denied herself for so long. She only hoped that vulnerability wouldn’t bite her in the ass in the long run.


	10. Chapter 10

“We are most definitely not going through the place your mom said was a deathtrap,” Weiss said, the shrillness of her voice enough to startle all the birds in a hundred foot radius. Blake didn’t see a single one take flight. That should have been the end of the argument, but neither of her companions seemed to notice.

“It’s the fastest way to Haven. Besides, Ruby went that way.” Yang paused, then continued in a lowered voice. “We should check to see if she...if there’s any sign of her.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “She’ll be fine. She probably walked into Kuroyuri and laughed at the danger until it was filled with flowers and sunshine.”

Blake rode on Shroud alongside Bumblebee as her companions continued to bicker. If Blake had any doubt they were old friends, the last few days dispelled them. Looking at the image of Weiss riding ladylike behind Yang in armor, Blake couldn’t help but think of them as a story come to life. They needed to get another horse. Yang told her all the reasons riding double was impractical when she convinced her to get Shroud. That was definitely the reason Blake ached for civilization. Not the way it made her stomach churn looking at Weiss's arms wrapped around Yang’s waist. The wrongness of the forest hardly bothered her anymore, compared to that sight.

“I can’t wait for you to meet Ruby. I know you’ve heard the stories and you’re sick of them, but as a person she’s hard not to like,” Yang said to Blake. Her smile chased away some of the gloom that was settling around Blake.

“If she’s anything like you, I’m sure I will,” Blake said, touched that Yang made an effort to include her. It wasn’t Yang’s fault Blake always tended to slip into the shadows.

“For all her faults, Yang’s the less obnoxious one,” Weiss said.

Yang gasped indignantly. “Come on, what faults? Blake, have you seen any faults?”

“You’re pretty full of yourself if I had to name one,” she said, biting her lip to contain a laugh as her words caused Yang to open and close her mouth repeatedly without managing any words. Weiss gave her a conspiratorial smirk, which Blake couldn’t help but return.

Try as she might, it was impossible not to like Weiss either. She grew on her like the cacti on Menagerie. It was nice to team up with someone against Yang’s impossible ego. Plus, her willingness to share magical techniques didn’t hurt her standing. It was almost like Blake was waiting her whole life for a group like this. She wondered how long it would last.

“As much as I love teasing Yang, can we focus on more important matters?” Weiss asked. “We’ll be upon Kuroyuri in the next day or so. Does anyone have an idea of what to expect?”

“The worst?” Yang offered. She earned herself a smack on the shoulder from Weiss.

“Anything specific?” The annoyance in her voice was too familiar to be actual scorn.

“While I’ve never heard of Kuroyuri, I do know stories about the forest and it’s curse,” Blake said, casting her mind back to Ilia’s warnings. “We’ve been skirting the edge of it for days now. The mists warp perception, they coerce and entangle. More than one person has been enchanted into oblivion, never to be seen again. We’d do well to beware of them.” Now she was here, Blake was starting to recall other stories she heard about the mists. Kuroyuri and the forest around it had all the warning signs pointing to it being a place to avoid. She learned the value of keeping an ear to the underground long before she left the White Fang.

That was another wall between her and the others she wasn’t quite sure how to break down. Neither had shown her any ill will for who she was, but they both had muddled pasts with the White Fang. There was no ambiguous way to approach her association with them, even from Blake’s perspective. The White Fang was corrupted into evil, and she didn’t want her new friends to think of her that way. Ever.

“Enchanted into oblivion sounds fun,” Yang said, far too cheerful considering Blake’s warnings. “We’ll just have to kill it before it can scare us.”

“Or we could avoid it entirely. This thing sounds powerful and there are only three of us,” Weiss said. “Even though we’re more than competent, I’d rather not let overconfidence be our downfall.”

“We shouldn’t let anything sidetrack us from our quest,” Blake added.

Yang sighed. “I guess you have a point. We’ll go around and set up a watch while we camp in the area.” The bloodlust had faded from her voice to Blake’s relief, but the set of her shoulders made it clear something was still bothering her. After a moment, Blake realized what it was.

“I know you want to look for signs of your sister, but if she made it through, we’ll find her in Haven,” she said, wishing desperately she could reach out to place her hand on Yang’s arm. 

Yang shot her a grateful smile, silent understanding passing between her and Blake. “You’re right. What would I do without you guys?”

“Probably die trying to be a hero,” Weiss said, missing the exchange completely. Yang laughed, and it only sounded a little forced.

“You’re probably right!”

* * *

When they broke for the night with the light fading, Blake didn’t feel tired at all. The closer they got to Kuroyuri, the more wrong the forest felt to her. Neither Yang nor Weiss seemed to notice her discomfort as they went about making camp. After so long of keeping quiet she didn’t want to bring it up now. 

“Everything alright, Blake?” Yang’s question startled Blake so badly she almost threw her bedroll into the bushes. Her fingers tightened against the fabric, clutching it like it was her last line to sanity. She thought Yang was busy settling the horses, who were oddly energetic after a long day of travel.

“I’m fine,” she croaked. Yang tilted her head.

“Really? You seem pretty jumpy. Are your own ghost stories getting to you?” She asked. Usually the lightness in her tone would be enough to pull Blake out of whatever mood she was in, but the forest’s presence was too real a danger for her to ignore. 

“It’s ok. I just think we should keep an extra sharp eye on watch tonight,” she said. Something in the seriousness of her voice changed Yang’s demeanor. Even Weiss, who was eavesdropping, looked over her shoulder. 

“Maybe we should forego a fire tonight. We’re getting awfully close to Kuroyuri,” Weiss said. Her words made Blake exhale in relief. While the others couldn’t sense what she could, at least they seemed to take her warning seriously. They settled down closer to each other than they usually did and fell into an uneasy slumber.

Sometime in the night, a shuffling disturbed Blake from unconsciousness. She moaned, feeling unnaturally groggy. Her limbs were heavy as if she was still asleep. She raised her head, squinting into the night to see what was wrong. Nothing moved.

Blake jerked upright. That was the problem. Her companions were nowhere in sight. She looked around frantically, searching for any sign. Even Bumblebee was gone, his hoofprints leading away from camp. Blake frantically shoved her belongings into her pack, grabbed Shroud’s reins, and rushed off into the forest, grateful that her better than average sight let her find the trail.

Every step was a fight against exhaustion. She had no idea how far she went or in what direction. The swirling mist made it difficult to see. Shroud rolled his eyes and danced sideways as she dragged them into the unknown. Blake herself was similarly spooked, but fear for her friends overpowered her survival instincts. A brighter patch of white against the gray caught her attention. She surged toward it even as it bobbed away, getting closer and closer until she recognized the back of Weiss’ ponytail.

“Weiss!” She yelled. The brush seemed to wrap around her legs, clawing at her skirts and slowing her progress. Weiss was moving even slower, hovering along like she was in a trance. It was only for that reason did Blake manage to catch up to her. She dove forward to grab her arm, holding on as tightly as she could manage. “Weiss, what are you doing?”

Weiss didn’t so much as turn to see what grabbed her. Her jaw was slack, eyes cloudy as she stumbled mindlessly toward...something. The sight of her sent fear through Blake’s veins. She’d never seen anything like it.

“Snap out of it,” she said, pulling on her arm to get her to stop. Weiss still didn’t react, continuing to stumble forward against the anchor. Blake was running out of options. “Sorry in advance for this.” She drew back her free arm and struck Weiss as hard as she could across the face, summoning the tiniest spark of lightning for good measure.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?” Weiss shrieked. The vacant expression slipped from her face like she just emerged from behind a waterfall. Her eyes were still dazed, but a blaze of anger was quickly replacing it as she rubbed her cheek.

“You were in some kind of a trance,” Blake explained. Weiss’ eyes widened, any offense immediately forgiven.

“Yang!” She cried. “I-I was following her, I think. It’s so fuzzy…” She pressed a hand over her eyes, brow furrowing. Whatever enchanted her did a number on her. With their proximity to Kuroyuri, Blake had a gnawing suspicion of what was the cause.

"Come on. I can see her trail. Follow me.” She plunged into the brush once again, fear for Yang’s safety outweighing giving Weiss time to recover. They staggered along, leaning on each other and Shroud for balance as they continued in the direction Weiss had been traveling.

“I can sense it now,” Weiss said. “There’s definitely a powerful enchantment being cast here. Whatever is doing it must have waited until we were asleep so it could catch us with our guard down.”

“And Yang was on the first watch,” Blake said grimly. It was all coming together now. Since they had magical training, she and Weiss were more difficult to charm. Though, if it was strong enough to catch Weiss, how did Blake escape?

“She took Bumblebee and left before I did, she’s probably leagues ahead of us,” Weiss said. She slashed at the forest with her rapier, sending out a bolt of fire from its tip to better clear their path. It carved a clear tunnel into the mist for the briefest of moments before tendrils started to creep into it.

“He was spooky last night, I don’t think he wants to get any closer to this than he has to,” Blake said, hoping against hope that the horse’s survival instincts would slow their progress. 

She nearly froze in her tracks when it suddenly clicked why she was able to resist the enchantment. Weiss had her magic to protect her. Once she realized what was happening, her subconscious worked to shield her from the influence of whatever was luring them in. Blake had magic of her own and was a Faunus on top of it. She was just different enough from humans that the enchantment had little effect. No wonder the only stories she heard from this place came from the mouths of Faunus contacts.

“There she is!” Weiss cried, dragging Blake from her epiphany. 

Sure enough, Blake picked out the silhouette of Yang ahead. She slumped atop a skittish Bumblebee, forging ahead at the will of his knight to a destination known only to her. Blake imagined the same vacant expression on her face as Weiss had. She looked frantically ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of where she was going. For all they knew, she could be heading right for a cliff.

The mist parted suddenly, and Blake pulled up as what appeared to be an enormous gaping maw reared out of the darkness. Despite every nerve in her body screaming at her to rush forward and help, Blake forced herself to remain put. The effort nearly brought her to her knees. She threw out an arm to stop Weiss and they watched helplessly as Yang rode right into it and was swallowed up entirely. Behind them, Shroud whickered nervously.

“What is it?” Weiss whispered. “I can’t see a thing.”

“Something is…” Blake’s throat was tight as she assessed...whatever this thing was. Bumblebee’s hooves clopped against stone, sound oddly muffled for how close they were to him. The mist was at work.

She let her eyes wander, take in as much of the thing as possible. She could see once straight lines that were oddly crumbled in places. Strange shapes reared out of the mist, soaring high into the air. With a gasp, she realized what they were looking at.

“It’s the fort. We’re at Kuroyuri!” She exclaimed. “Get back. Away, away, away!” With every repetition of the word, she pushed Weiss back the way they came.

“We can’t just leave her!” Weiss protested, standing firm against Blake’s attempts to manhandle her.

“We can’t be here, either,” Blake said. “I don’t want to abandon her, but we  _ cannot _ go through the front gate. We need to fall back and make a plan.”

She led them back into the forest until the fort was well out of sight. Even from this distance, she could feel the evil radiating from the place. She took shelter behind a wide tree, thinking that the Rose Knight would have to live up to her reputation and more to survive that place. For Yang’s sake, she hoped she was up to the challenge.

“How the fuck are we supposed to rescue our knight?” The coarseness from Weiss distracted Blake from her terror. It was just unexpected enough to shock her to her senses.

“Without her, a frontal assault is right out,” Blake said, desperately trying to keep her voice steady. “Neither of our magic is good for that. We’ll have to sneak in and hope whatever is in there doesn’t notice us steal its prey.”

“You must have some experience infiltrating castles,” Weiss said sharply.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Everything was too much. She was too vulnerable with her fear for Yang and the environment doing its damnedest to spook them. This topic felt like a trap when that was the last thing they needed right now.

“I’m not stupid you know. Anyone with any sense can tell you were with the White Fang.” Blake’s skin prickled at the accusation.

“Are we really doing this now?” She asked, trying to deflect. With Weiss’ unblinking gaze examining her every expression, there was no way she hadn’t given herself away already.

“It’s as good a time as any. Trust maketh the mission and all.” Blake bit her lip.

“It’s not that obvious.” She was more used to hiding her affiliation with the group than she was her own heritage. Being out of her mind with worry was throwing her off.

“Maybe to Yang it’s not. But I saw how you tiptoed around her after she spilled her guts to you. How you clam up anytime Beacon is mentioned. And you all but confirmed it just now.” Apparently, Weiss had a stubborn streak a mile wide, and the curiosity of a trained mage to boot.

“I’m not with them anymore,” Blake growled. “I left to actually try to make the world a better place. You should understand that, coming from where you do. And if you don’t, then get out of here like you always wanted to.”

“Look, I know how your past makes you feel about me. But if you want me to trust that you’re different from what you came from, trust that I also have the ability to think critically about myself and where I came from.” Blake could feel Weiss watching her intently, trying to get a read on her. She forced herself not to look away, to face someone for once in her life.

“We have an understanding, then,” Blake said coolly.

“More than an understanding, I hope. We still have an emotionally damaged, hot-headed knight to rescue.” Weiss turned her attention back to the fort, though there was no way she could see it from this distance.

“How are we going to pull that off.”

“I’m the greatest mage Atlas has ever seen. And you’re strong enough to trick whatever’s in there with your magic. Between the two of us, I’m sure we can cobble something together.” Blake turned to look through the mist. Whatever they came up with, it better be sooner rather than later. The longer Yang was subjected to the horror of Kuroyuri, the less likely she would be able to escape. Blake beat away those dark thoughts. She refused to go down that path.

“What do you have in mind?”


	11. Chapter 11

Blake ran her fingers along the crumbling outer wall of Kuroyuri, feeling for a specific seam while Weiss kept an eye out. She’d rather be the one on watch, given that Weiss could hardly see anything, but she was the one who knew what to look for. Weiss had her rapier drawn, ready to face any incoming threats. They left Shroud at a run-down building they stumbled across. A fort this size often had residents who lived outside its walls and having a safe place to leave the horse was incredibly helpful. They would never have gotten up to the wall dragging the skittish animal with them.

Her fingers skimmed across a vertical crack too precise to be natural. On the other side, the texture of the wall changed from stone to lichened wood. Trying to keep her optimism in check, she felt around to see if it was the shape of a door. She felt a rusted, slimy handle and excitement overpowered her disgust.

“I found it,” she whispered, tugging on the handle. The wood creaked and didn’t budge. It must have been barred from the inside.

“Let me try something.” Weiss stepped forward. Feeling for the door, she carefully fit the tip of her rapier in between the gap. Working slowly, she slid the thin blade through until the hilt was pressed against the wall for the best leverage she could get. She jerked it upwards. “I found the bar. Help me move it up.”

With their poor leverage, they were lucky the thing was mostly rotted through. Between the two of them, they managed to lift it off its hooks, and it fell to the ground with a crash. Blake immediately put her back to the wall, scanning the mist for any sign they brought attention to themselves. 

Nothing moved. Blake was coiled tight as a wire. This was all wrong. With all the fear coming from her and Weiss, they absolutely should have been attracting Grimm. Yet there was no movement around them, no glowing red eyes. It was almost too still.

“I’ll go first. You watch our backs,” Weiss said, pulling the door open. The tip of her rapier started to glow ever so slightly, illuminating the way ahead. To herself, Blake was glad Weiss was going first. This place made every bit of her want to run far away. She didn’t think she was brave enough to take point. It said a lot about the princess that she was.

They entered a room so decayed it was difficult to tell what purpose it had once served. Crates and barrels were falling apart along the walls, and an iron cauldron rusted on its side near an empty, gaping fireplace. Blake had studied the general layout of forts like this, and her best guess was that this was some kind of storage room or kitchen. The room was empty, not even inhabited by rats. There was a door on the far side that Weiss made her way over too and opened.

“It’s a small courtyard,” she said as Blake gave the room a more thorough glance. There was no telling what was going to sneak up on them. “I see Bumblebee in the remains of some kind of stable, but otherwise it’s empty.”

“Even under a curse, she takes care of her horse.” Blake shook her head fondly. “We need to find the center of the fort. Is there any kind of keep?”

“Yes. There’s another walled-in area just beyond this one. The keep is in there. If we stick to the wall, we can find some cover. Come on, the sooner we’re out of here, the better.”

Blake stepped as lightly as she could, barely putting her weight down before moving again. She was petrified of making any noise that would surely echo in such an empty place. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. The further in they went the more the wrongness of this place was getting to her. Every shadow, every swirl in the mist was a potential threat. Familiar structures were made eerie by the lack of habitation, so much so that Blake had difficulty figuring out what they were meant to be. She was almost relieved when they reached the main keep, even though the evil presence radiating from it was almost strong enough to make her gag.

They slipped inside the keep, which was in a similar state as the storage room. Threadbare tapestries hung on the walls while dust and debris covered the floor. Whole sections of the ceiling had fallen in, letting the mist funnel in from outside. Blake had to bite her lip to hold in a scream at the sight of charred and twisted skeletons on the floor. They were the first bodies they came across, though there were sure to be more hidden by the darkness.

“Yang’s been here,” Weiss said, pointing at the floor. There was a clear trail of recent footprints in the dust that definitely weren’t made by the corpses. “What happened here? Not knowing what we’re facing is what’s getting to me the most.”

“Be glad we haven’t seen anything yet,” Blake said. “Maybe we won’t have to at all.”

“Doubtful, but I love your optimism.” Blake nearly snorted. If she was the optimistic one, Yang was a dirty scoundrel.

Weiss started following Yang’s footprints. The light at the end of her sword was steady, belaying no nervousness in the shake of her hands. Blake envied her ability to stay so collected. It was not at all how she expected the princess to handle such a situation. Seeing her now, she struggled to imagine Weiss as a damsel in distress.

The footprints led to a hidden flight of stone stairs. Had they been made of wood, Blake would have insisted on finding another way up, citing them to be too dangerous and rotted. Her every instinct searched for an excuse to run. It was an effort of will to put one foot in front of the other. To stop her knees from shaking. She focused all her thoughts on rescuing Yang and shoved her instincts to the side.

The stairs wound up and up, so far that Blake was out of breath and her legs burned by the time they suddenly leveled out. They passed several landings, but Yang’s trail continued ever higher and there was no time to investigate where the landings went. The stairs opened into a small antechamber with a door across the way that was slightly ajar. Weiss’s sword was still the only form of light, as there were no windows here. The two mages exchanged a look, bracing themselves for what they would find. Summoning a rare spark of courage, Blake opened the door to allow them entry.

Inside was another room, gutted like the rest of the castle. Part of the wall had been blown out and exposed the room to the outside. Blake nearly jumped out of her skin as a figure rose out of the gloom. She only mastered herself when she recognized Yang standing with her back to them, staring at something in her hands. Weiss flicked her wrist and sent the globule of light at the end of her rapier to the ceiling, illuminating the entire room.

“Are you there, Yang?” Blake asked tentatively, circling around to better see Yang’s face. In her head, she ran over every way she knew of breaking enchantments. It would likely take more than a smack in the face and a spark to bring Yang back to herself.

Yang still had the loose-jointed posture she did when Blake last saw her, but her eyes were clearer, filled with wonder. She held a piece of white cloth that looked less tattered than the tapestries Blake noticed below. At Blake’s words, she looked up.

“It’s wonderful here,” she said. Her words were hollow and there was a dopey grin across her face. It looked wrong, especially compared to the warm smiles Blake was used to seeing from her.

“This place is trashed and decaying,” Weiss said. “It’s definitely not wonderful.”

Yang shook her head. “Look around. Everything I need is in this tower. Even Ruby.” She held up the strip of cloth in her hands. Blake caught a glimpse of red embroidery in the corner. Weiss gasped.

“That’s my favor!” She said.

“Your what?” Blake asked. Weiss turned a deep shade of red.

“N-nothing! Never mind! Ruby always carried it, is all,” she spluttered. Blake let it slide for now. They had bigger problems.

“Yang, we need to leave this place. Right now.”

“Leave? Why would I ever want to leave?” Yang walked over to something only she could see and ran her hands over it. To Blake, it looked like she was only touching air. “This place won’t hurt me. It won’t hurt you, either. Please stay with me. Ruby would love to meet you.”

“Ruby isn’t here,” Weiss insisted. “Let me show you.” With a quick hand motion, she cast a protection spell to free Yang from the enchantment. A light blue aura settled like a second skin over Yang.

“What are you talking about? Of course she is.” Yang raised the favor, her expression unchanged. Blake’s heart sank. It didn’t work.

“Did you cast it right?” She asked, even though the proof was right there in front of her.

“Of course, I did,” Weiss snapped. “I don’t understand. That should have worked. This enchantment must have really gotten into her head.” Blake watched the way Yang stared at nothing. She knew very little about enchantments, but a mental shield should have been enough to break her free.

“It’s not an enchantment,” Blake said when the realization hit her. “At least, not entirely.”

“What else would it be?” Weiss asked.

“She’s seeing things that aren’t there. Let me try something.” Blake concentrated, drawing up every last bit of power she had. The thought of Yang trapped here forever fueled her more than anything else ever had. She closed her eyes, letting the illusion spread across the room from where she was standing, covering every inch of the room with magic. When it was in place, Blake sagged with exhaustion. 

“Nothing changed,” Weiss said, looking around the room. If Blake had the energy to glare at her, she would. She had to have seen the glow of her magic. This was one of the most powerful illusions Blake had ever cast. It had to be if it was going to cover whatever Yang was seeing and show her the truth. She’d never done anything like it before, and so focused all of her efforts on Yang, letting her magic embrace the knight entirely.

“What the…?” Yang blinked hard. She rubbed her eyes and looked about in disbelief. “Where did it all go?”

“It was never there,” Blake said, gently as possible while trying to instill urgency in Yang. “It was an illusion.”

“I...oh.” Yang looked down at the favor still clenched in her fist. “This wasn’t though. Ruby  _ was _ here.”

“She was, but she’s gone now,” Weiss said. “We need to get out of here.”

Yang shook her head, clearing it of the final vestiges from the spell she was under. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

They started for the stairs, and Blake paused to give the room a once over. Her illusion was spot on, down to the hole in the wall. Looking out of it, she thought it was weird she couldn’t see the mist below. Only blackness, and a strange ridge across the sky.

The ridge moved. Blake screamed as a burning red light filled the room and she recognized what she was seeing. The eye of an enormous Grimm.

* * *

Blake’s scream had Yang whipping around, already fitting her shield onto her forearm. Her jaw dropped with horror as she saw the massive eye fill the gap in the wall. Disoriented as she was from being pulled out of paradise, it took her a moment to react.

“Everybody run!” She yelled, drawing her sword. “In front of me! Go, go, go!”

“What is it?” Weiss asked. Yang pushed her toward the stairs, making sure Blake followed behind. She was about to start down after them when the entire roof of the tower was torn off.

Yang raised her shield to protect herself from falling debris. The roof was flung away, and she was suddenly face to face with the monster she herself used to strike fear into the hearts of so many. An enormous black dragon clung to the outside of the tower. It was larger than anything she’d ever seen; it’s eye alone longer than she was tall, with massive rotting teeth spilling from its mouth.

“Holy shit,” she said breathlessly. Its head reared back, mouth opening around an orange glow. Yang dove down the stairs, nearly falling over in her rush to avoid the gout of fire it belched out at them. She ran into Blake, who hung back slightly, and they both had to catch themselves on the wall. 

“What are you waiting for? Run!” Yang roared.

They raced down the stairs as fast as they dared, no one caring about breaking their necks as long as they were moving away from the Grimm. They burst out into the main hall as the dragon’s roar shook the entire fort. Yang followed blindly as Weiss rushed them to the smashed front gate, grabbing Bumblebee’s reins on the way. When they reached the gate, Yang grabbed Weiss by the waist and lifted her onto the horse. She turned to do the same to Blake, barely pausing at the sight of her terrified gaze.

“Behind you!” She warned. Yang spun around, barely getting her shield up in time to block a ball of fire from burning them all to ash. The force threw her back, away from the gate and hard against the cobblestone. Groaning, she scrambled to right herself as steam rose from her shield and armor.

Blake and Weiss were already mounted on an agitated Bumblebee. The sun was rising to burn off the mist and Yang could see a clear path into the forest. If they ran, they would be able to make it to safety. She took a step toward her friends, only to pause and glance up at the furious Grimm circling above them.

“Yang, come on!” Weiss yelled. “What are you waiting for?!”

“Think of how many people this thing has already killed,” Yang said, the knot in her chest heavy as she thought of just that. “Think of how many more will die if we let it continue. We can’t just leave it here.”

“Yes, the fuck we can!” Blake screamed. “Yang, where are you going?”

“You go on ahead! I can take it,” Yang said, running back into the main courtyard banging her sword on her shield. “Hey, ugly! Come and get a piece of this when I can fight you fair and square!”

She doubted the dragon could hear her, but the roar it gave sounded enough like a response. Yang braced herself against a crumbling wall as it sent another fireball at her. The heat was intense. Just breathing the scalding air made Yang’s lungs burn. She clenched her jaw and ducked her head behind her shield.

"Is that all you got?” The dragon hovered, wingbeats creating huge downdrafts that nearly bowled Yang over. It reared its head back to continue its assault and cook her alive.

The blast was knocked askew by a flash of pale blue light striking it in the jaw. Ice sprouted from the blow, encasing its head and dragging it from the sky. It landed heavily in the courtyard, screeching. Yang searched for the source of the ice and saw Weiss enter the large courtyard, rapier pointed to the sky.

“Quit staring at me and go after that thing!” She snapped. Yang grinned and ran for the dragon’s head.

The ice had smashed upon hitting the ground, but the dragon still wobbled from the effect of it. Yang slashed twice at its exposed neck before frantically backpedaling when it regained its senses. She barely dodged its snapping jaws. Its furious glare seared her soul and Yang stared right back. Good, she still had its attention. Time to see if she could keep it.

She dove right in with a series of attacks, hacking and slashing with as much ferocity she could muster. The dragon’s hide was thick, and few of her blows did any real damage. She was testing its reactions and defenses, feeling it out before employing any one strategy. Dragons were so rare she’d never seen one before and had only been marginally trained in fighting one. The principal was the same as fighting any other Grimm. She just never had any practice before now.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Weiss fire spell after spell, encasing parts of its massive body with various elemental attacks. Blake charged in from the other side, slicing through the membrane of its wing with a dagger.

The attacks infuriated the dragon, and it lashed out with twice the ferocity. It was trapped on the ground for sure now, with its wing hacked to pieces. Yang maneuvered to keep herself between it and her friends. Terror threatened to overwhelm her each time it struck at her. More terrifying was the thought of Blake or Weiss being subject to one of its blows. In her armor, Yang could at least take the hit. She centered herself with them firmly in her mind. She accepted the reality of win or die and released it. This was what she had been born to do.

The few blows she managed to connect with the monster did less damage than she would have liked. She danced around in frustration as her sword glanced off its hide more often than not. Blake and Weiss were able to find more vulnerable parts while she distracted it, but Yang wanted to make a dent too.

Her moment came when the Grimm’s head rocketed at her, jaws wide to snap her up in a single bite. Yang stood firm, readying herself for the perfect moment. When it came, she didn’t think. Raising her shield above her head, she leaped into its mouth.

The force of the jaw snapping around her jarred her very bones. She screamed, forcing her body to stand firm and wedge its mouth open. Lashing out, she scored the inside of its mouth with her sword. Hot blood gushed from its vulnerable skin and it screeched in pain. Yang stabbed again and again before her muscles finally gave out and she buckled. 

The dragon spat her from its mouth and she rolled to a stop against the wall of the keep. The hard landing drove the breath from her body. She curled in on herself, gasping and trying to suck in air. There was little time to recover. Slowly, she pushed herself up on her hands and knees. Her body protested every move. The ground shook as the dragon stumbled around, but Yang could barely string two thoughts together. She needed her sword. She groped around looking for it, vision only just coming back to her.

A scream from across the courtyard made her look up a moment before a heatwave from a massive explosion washed over her. Weiss fell to her knees, reserves exhausted from having to block the dragon’s attack. It rounded on her as Yang watched, helpless to do anything from across the courtyard.

“Over here!” Blake shouted. There was a flash of steel near its head and the dragon roared in pain. One of Blake’s daggers stuck out of its eye. Weeping blood, the dragon locked in on Blake. She stood defiantly in front of Weiss as it reared onto its back legs, raising its forepaw to strike her down where she stood.

Yang forgot about her sword. She forgot about her own aches. Her fist clenched on the strap of her shield as she burst forward, summoning energy she didn’t know she had. She barely gave it any thought as she dove in front of Blake, catching the blow on her shield. 

She didn’t get it up properly and the claws ripped it to shreds, catching her torso at the end of its strike. When she fell to the ground her vision wavered. Her body finally reached its pain threshold and the world started to grow black. Her hip burned with agony from three deep gashes from the dragon’s claws. Yang fought against unconsciousness, struggling to lift her head. Blake had to be alright. She had to be. 

As she lay in the courtyard, it could have been seconds or hours that passed. Her body wasn’t responding to her direction. Yang moaned as her side flared in pain. Vaguely she was aware of ashes falling from the sky. Someone grabbed her shoulders and rolled her onto her back. It was a good thing Yang’s limbs weren’t responding. The movement hurt so much she could have punched whoever forced it on her. Her helmet was torn off and she gasped as fresh air hit her face. Horrified golden eyes loomed in her view, outlined by the brightening sky. Yang went limp with relief. The sight of Blake’s eyes clear and alive was better than seeing the sun.

“Did we get it?” She choked out. Her mouth tasted like iron and she prodded a split lip with her tongue. From the taste of it, her whole mouth was covered in blood.

“You are such a useless knight,” Blake cried. Her arms tightened around Yang’s shoulders and she rested her forehead against her chest. Yang bit back a groan of pain, now lamenting the fact that her arms didn’t seem to be responding. She wanted to hug Blake back, reassure her she was alright.

“Wow, you really do care.” She settled for words instead. Blake took a shuddering breath and didn’t respond.

“Yang! Oh gods, Yang!” Weiss tottered up to the other side of her, falling to her knees.

“Was it you who got it?” Yang asked. With both of them by her side, the logical part of her brain realized the ash falling from the sky was from the dragon as it disintegrated upon death.

“That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. And with as long as I’ve known you, I’ve seen a lot of stupid things,” Weiss said shakily. “I’m glad you lived, because I am going to murder you.” Blake slowly uncurled from around Yang to glare at Weiss.

“Don’t be mad,” Yang pleaded. “Look. We made it to sunrise.”

“So we did,” Blake said. “So we did.”


	12. Chapter 12

As ash from the defeated Grimm floated around the courtyard, all Blake could think was that she really needed a nap. The emotional and physical stress from the day was weighing on her as much as on her companions by the looks of them, and it was barely sunrise. Weiss was covered in scrapes and soot, her head drooping as she breathed heavily. Yang looked even worse as she slipped into unconsciousness. She was completely limp in Blake’s arms, her face pale and clammy where it wasn’t covered in blood. Her armor was battered, and three horrible gouges tore across her right hip. More blood welled from those wounds. Blake shrugged off exhaustion.

“We need to get somewhere safe,” she said, letting go of Yang’s shoulder to put pressure on her bleeding hip.

“Since we killed that thing, here should be safe enough,” Weiss said. She looked at their surroundings with tired eyes. “I have the strength for one last summoning to carry Yang to a building. The storehouse was mostly intact.”

They staggered to shelter, Weiss’ summoned soldier carrying Yang in its arms, trying not to jostle her. Bumblebee, well trained as he was, wandered their direction. He let Blake tie him to a post that only looked half-rotten, more as an afterthought than anything. They could retrieve Shroud and care for the horses later.

It took Blake and Weiss far too long to figure out how to remove Yang’s armor to tend to her wound. Blake worried she would bleed out by the time they managed it. Weiss started by pulling off her gauntlets, so Blake followed her lead. She barely had the energy to be surprised when she pulled off her right gauntlet, exposing Yang’s prosthetic. It was easy to forget about when it was covered in armor.

“You don’t look surprised to see that,” Weiss said as Blake quickly moved to untie her vambrace.

“She needed to get it serviced shortly after we met,” Blake explained. Weiss already had most of the plating on Yang’s left arm loosened and was working at her pauldrons. Blake hurried to catch up.

For the first time, she noticed a subtle seam in the armor covering Yang’s bicep, directly over where her real arm and the metal began. She couldn’t help but rub her thumb against it. The repair was the only obvious evidence of what Yang went through.

“It’s not something she advertises. She must have trusted you a great deal from the start,” Weiss said. “Did you know she lost it at Beacon?” Blake couldn’t hold the princess’s gaze. Though she left the White Fang before the terrible attack, she couldn’t help feel the weight of responsibility for their actions.

“The artificer mentioned this was Atlesian technology,” Blake said, changing the subject. “How did a knight from Vale wind up with something like this?”

“She knows our general,” Weiss said, reaching over to help Blake finish with Yang’s armor. “A lot of people put faith in The Dragon Knight. Ironwood wasn’t going to let them lose it. Here, lift her up so we can get her breastplate off.” Blake winced as she held Yang in a sitting position, worried it would make her wounds even worse. It was necessary if they wanted to get a better look at them.

The gashes turned out to not be as bad as they looked. Yang’s armor protected her from the worst of it, so while she would have a nasty scar her life wasn’t in danger. Blake tried not to linger too long over the other scars on her body as she bandaged her hip. For being so young, Yang had an extensive history of battle documented on her skin. She couldn’t restrain herself entirely and hoped Yang couldn’t feel her light touch as she trailed over some of the worst of them. Weiss was polite enough to pretend not to notice.

Once they laid Yang down to rest, Blake’s own exhaustion hit her with a dizzying wave. She curled up near the door so she would at least be alerted if anything tried to enter the storehouse. It would be a late warning, but it was better than nothing. She fell into the deepest sleep she’d gotten in a long time.

When she awoke, everything was tinged blue as when the sun was just below the horizon. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced at her companions. They were still fast asleep. Though groggy, Blake didn’t think she could join them. She rose to heed nature’s call, noticing Bumblebee still had his saddle on. It was also just before dawn — they’d slept for an entire day. Blake was up anyway, so she set about doing what needed to be done.

By the time Yang and Weiss awoke, Blake already had a hot breakfast prepared and the horses taken care of. Shroud was almost happy to see her when she went to track him down. He seemed much calmer now the Grimm presence was no more, and even more thrilled to be reunited with Bumblebee. She settled them in the stables, which was the truest test of the horsemanship Blake learned on the road thus far.

Weiss crawled over to her fire with a yawn while Blake delivered food to Yang, who grumbled that she was perfectly capable of retrieving it herself. Blake let her think what she wanted, but she needed Blake’s help to sit up against the wall to eat. Even one as strong as Yang needed recovery time.

“So, what’s our plan?” Weiss asked once they filled their bellies and piled their dishes next to the fire. “I think we should consider the value of taking some time to recover after nearly dying.”

Yang started to argue, “the quest—” 

“Can wait,” Weiss firmly cut her off. “It waited months for you to even start it. The world isn’t going to come crashing down in just a few days. Plus, you can barely move without reinjuring yourself.” Yang grumbled unintelligibly but offered no clear argument.

“I’m still upset I missed you killing the thing,” she said after a moment of grumbling.

“That  _ thing _ nearly killed you,” Blake pointed out. 

“But did it?” Blake rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Speaking of! Weiss, I think I have something that belongs to you.” Yang fumbled with her armor, which was piled up beside her. She pulled the favor out of a hidden pocket. Weiss went completely red.

“That’s Ruby’s,” She said, pointedly staring at the ground.

“Then you should give it back to her when we find her. It kept me safe during that fight. I’m sure she’d appreciate you returning it.” Weiss hesitated before snatching the favor and tucking it out of sight.

“Safe is a relative term,” she muttered. Blake watched the exchange silently, cataloguing the information for later with a slight bit of amusement.

As if to prove Weiss’s point, it was a few days before Yang was up and around again. Weiss filled her time making the storehouse livable, clearly unused to downtime. She was quite good at coming up with seemingly useful activities that in reality served no purpose but to keep her busy. Yang seemed equally restless, though Blake and Weiss enforced as much rest as they could on her. Blake handled the relief from the insanity that had befallen her since joining up with Yang the best. She was used to things being out of her control and taking them as they came. The only downside was that she had little to do but fuss over Yang, and it was starting to go to her head.

Their second night of recovery, Blake took her turn to check on Yang’s wounds. Ignoring the knight’s blustering about being absolutely fine, she changed her bandages while checking for infection. Yang stared at her the entire time she worked, expression impossibly soft. Blake tried not to let it get in the way as she deftly tied off the bandage. Every time her fingers brushed against Yang’s skin, she nearly had an aneurysm. 

“Thanks for breaking the spell over me,” Yang said when she finished. Blake sat back, folding her hands on her lap. “Back in the tower. I never thanked you properly.”

“I mean, you threw yourself in front of a dragon on my behalf. That strike was meant for me,” Blake said. They were alone at the moment. Weiss was off doing one of her “errands.” Blake couldn’t decide if she wanted her to stay away for as long as possible or return this instant. Her chest felt like it was going to implode.

“I think I would have died if you got hurt,” Yang said. She reached over and took one of Blake’s hands with her right. It was unexpectedly warm, and Yang moved with such tenderness Blake almost forgot it was made of metal.

“That’s pretty dramatic,” Blake choked out. She managed to lift her gaze to meet Yang’s.

“You don’t get the reputation I have if you aren’t a little bit.”

Blake was at a loss for words, so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Weiss returned just then. She pulled her hand away, feeling the loss of warmth like a hole in her chest.

Yang was not one to be taken out of the fight for long. She only let herself rest for a few days before she was up and doing gentle stretches to keep herself limber, despite Weiss and Blake’s protests. She left off her armor — repairing the worst of the damage to it was one of Weiss’ small projects — which was a victory on their eyes. Only when she started ramping up the activity did Blake understand it to be much more of a minor victory than she first thought.

As Yang’s strength continued to return, they began to make preparations to move on. Blake took to scouting down the road. None of them were keen to walk into another surprise like the one in the ruined fort. On her missions, she found the forest was starting to rebound from the heavy shadow that hung over it. Animals were starting to return to the area, and the mists no longer hung around as thickly as they once had.

Upon returning from one of her missions, Blake made her way to their shelter, familiar by now with the layout of the fort that she barely gave the rest of the structure a passing glance. She paused mid-stride when something moved in her peripheral vision. Still spooked from her experience with the dragon Grimm, she turned toward the movement with one hand hovering over a dagger. She relaxed a moment later when she saw it was only Yang and Bumblebee.

The knight was bent over double, picking something out of Bumblebee’s hoof. As Blake watched, she straightened carefully, mindful of her half-healed wounds. Blake was about to go over there and berate her for such activity, but she was distracted by the rolled-up sleeves of Yang’s tunic. For as gentle as she could be, her forearms showed her strength. In armor, it was hard to see how muscular Yang was. Blake assumed from the ease with which she maneuvered in the heavy plate but seeing was an entirely different thing. 

Yang hadn’t noticed her arrival and Blake didn’t hurry along. She let her gaze trail over the knight, from strong hands that cared for Bumblebee with practiced ease, to her broad shoulders honed by wielding her weapons, to collar bones exposed by her half-unlaced shirt. It was rather warm today, indeed. Blake chalked the heat in her cheeks up to the sun beating down on her dark cloak which she had drawn close around herself.

“I thought I was supposed to be the princess around here.” Blake nearly leaped out of her skin as Weiss spoke up.

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” She stammered. She felt like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been, which in a way she was.

“Nothing. Except for almost every popular story about a noble knight sweeping a fair princess off her feet.” Weiss had an evil smirk on her face.

“That’s not what’s happening here,” Blake protested desperately. Weiss shrugged. Their conversation attracted Yang’s attention, who grinned widely when she noticed Blake. 

“Hey! I was waiting for you to return. You have to check out these cool old weapons I found earlier,” she said. Weiss rolled her eyes

“It’s ok, you can have her. She’s too annoying.” She sauntered off, leaving Blake wanting to melt into the cobblestones. If this was what it was like being fully brought into the fold, she’d rather go back to being an outsider.

Something had shifted in their dynamic since they killed the dragon. They worked together flawlessly during the fight, Weiss and Yang’s unspoken familiarity enveloping Blake. Yang especially. Never before had she known someone so willing to throw themselves into literal fire to protect her without any external motivation. Yang was kind for the sake of kindness. Her strength was no projection. It was real enough that she didn’t need to keep up the façade all the time, and the soft side she showed so readily was what drew Blake in the most. She could barely remember why she was once so certain being alone was for the best. Despite herself, she missed feeling like she was part of something. Missed being trusted wholeheartedly.

Which made the secret she kept weigh even heavier than before she started to like these people. Weiss hadn’t reacted poorly to learning about her past. She seemingly forgot about it in the aftermath of their battle. But Yang had no idea, which was probably the reason Blake sensed a shift in their dynamic especially. She didn’t want to spill everything to Yang only to have it blow up in her face. She  _ liked _ the direction they were heading, even though it wasn’t explicit yet. She wanted to at least give them a fair shot.

Weiss seemed to sense her inner turmoil. She cornered Blake that evening while Yang was off scrounging for more firewood.

“Something is up with you, and it’s more than making eyes at Yang,” she said bluntly. Blake had to appreciate how she didn’t beat around the bush.

“I need to tell her about my history with the White Fang.” By the shock on her face, Blake took Weiss off guard by meeting her directness. She was tired of pushing people away.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Weiss said. Blake frowned. That wasn’t what she was hoping to hear.

“So, it’s better I lie? Let Yang grow to trust me to the point that when it does come out it feels like a betrayal?” Blake asked. “I’ve had enough backstabbing in my life. I’m done.”

“I never said you should lie,” Weiss said. “Just consider what the best moment to tell her would be.”

“You found out in the least ideal moment and you don’t hate my guts.” Blake pointed out.

“True. But I have a better handle on my emotions than Yang does. She doesn’t act like it, but her own history with the White Fang is still raw. She needs to heal and process, realize that she’s still as whole as she was before. We can nudge her along, but ultimately it’s something she needs to do herself.”

Blake fought back a flash of annoyance. Weiss might have known Yang better in some ways, but she had no idea what was going on in Blake’s head. Blake could see their relationship turning sour the longer she held onto her secrets.

“It still feels wrong that she trusts me,” she said slowly. “Without knowing anything about me. Not the important stuff. You at least know what you’re dealing with.”

“Then do something about it. Be vulnerable, but not that vulnerable.” Weiss said.

Blake bit her lip, processing what Weiss was trying to impart before lashing out immediately. Her advice was probably sound; she’d known Yang for a long time. Blake could admit she was resistant to what she was trying to say because it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“I think we’re going to have to start scrounging in the forest if we’re going to stay here for much longer,” Yang said before Weiss could respond. She entered the storeroom carrying enough wood to make Weiss glare at her.

“We won’t be able to move on if you keep pushing yourself,” Weiss said. Yang dropped her burden near the firepit.

“I’m fine. The bleeding stopped days ago and hasn’t started up again since,” she said. Weiss harrumphed, and Blake had a feeling she was more than fed up with both of them.

The feeling strengthened when Weiss looked her right in the eye as she purposefully knocked over their water bucket.

“Oops,” she said, not sounding particularly sorry. “I better go refill this.”

“Being away from the refinement of court has really made you clumsy,” Yang teased. Weiss tossed a look at Blake as she left that said  _ you better be grateful for this _ . Blake gave her a subtle nod.

“Speaking of moving on, we really should do that in the next day or so,” Yang said as she started to build up the fire. “I know you two are all about taking our time to recover and all, but I’m fine. And not in a stoic, brush off things that are actually troubling me way.”

“If you think you’re fine, I’ll trust your judgment,” Blake said. Her voice wavered, and Yang immediately looked her way. Blake cursed in her head.

“Is everything alright? Was Weiss giving you a hard time? You guys seem to have bonded over the past few days, but —”

“It’s not that,” Blake said, interrupting the rising anger in Yang. Now that Weiss pointed it out, she could better see how Yang let her emotions rule her. Though it was part of what Blake liked about her, she could see causing a rise in negative emotions wasn’t something she wanted to do at the moment. “Don’t worry about it.” Yang abandoned her task to scooch closer to Blake.

“Will you let me worry about it? I care about you. A lot.” That was the final straw for Blake. As much as she tried to hide it, she and Yang were more alike than different when it came to handling their feelings.

“How can you say things like that when you hardly know me?” She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, leaning away from Yang. Yang looked taken aback. She didn’t try to move any closer, but she didn’t pull away either. Blake wished she would do one or the other, prove in some way she truly wasn’t as good as she seemed.

“I didn’t want to push you on the topic. I know the past is tough for a lot of us, but I see who you are now. And I see a person I can’t help but like.” She paused, chewing on her lower lip. “If you want to share anything, I’m always open to listen.”

Blake wanted to open up to her. She so badly did. Yang had been so vulnerable with her, almost since the day they met. But Weiss’ advice was still bouncing around in her head, and she had to admit to the merit in it. Still, there was a way she could reciprocate everything that Yang had given to her without driving a wedge between them.

“I guess I could,” she said slowly. Yang’s face split into a grin, encouraging her to continue. “Um, so this is not common knowledge, but I’m not from around here. I was born and raised on Menagerie.”

“Oh, wow. That’s a long way away.” Blake nodded.

“It is. And this probably won’t seem that special to you, but I was…” she trailed off. “No, never mind. It’s dumb.”

“Of course it’s not.” Yang finally closed the gap between them, resting a hand on Blake’s arm. She was so tactile it was hard to get used to. Blake could barely admit how much she loved it. Couldn’t Yang see how much she flustered Blake? And she wasn’t even trying.

Blake took a deep breath. “Well, on Menagerie, I was kind of a princess. My father was our chieftain, and he had a lot of hopes for me. If things turned out differently, I can’t help but wonder if we would have met anyway. You know. With both of us being political agents of our respective nations.”

“You know, we probably would have!” Yang said, seeming delighted at the possibility. “You don’t have to be so shy about it. That’s absolutely special.” She paused, and Blake could see the thoughts racing behind her eyes. “How did you end up on the path you are now?”

“It’s a long story,” Blake said, joints locking up. They were getting into the territory Weiss warned her not to touch. “I just wanted to tell you that I understand what it’s like to lose something to the White Fang.” While her old life falling apart because of the Fang was entirely her own fault, there were some parallels at least to what Yang went through and Blake hoped she could ease into telling her everything with the right build up.

Yang was silent for a long moment, putting the pieces together. “Thank you for sharing with me. I know how difficult it can be to talk about our greatest losses.” Blake covered Yang’s hand that was on her arm with her own, reveling in the moment they shared.

By the time Weiss returned, they were a respectable distance apart again and the fire was roaring. Weiss regarded them with narrowed eyes. She moved like any misstep would make the storehouse explode. Blake couldn’t help but smile, which only set off her suspicion to a greater degree. Weiss could fuss all she wanted. Blake wasn’t going to let it shake her confidence that they were on the right path.


	13. Chapter 13

As much as the forced vacation was appreciated, Yang felt better than ever once they hit the road again. They weren’t far from Haven at this point, and though the Grimm’s presence was gone there was still something unnerving about the hollow shell of Kuroyuri. Something about knowing the people who once lived their everyday lives there were killed horribly had a way of putting a damper on the ruins.

They coincidentally picked a beautiful day to set out on. Yang breathed deeply, letting the fresh air fill her to the brim. With Weiss riding behind her and Blake at her side, she felt she was able to conquer anything. Especially as they left Kuroyuri and its haunting presence behind.

Yang let herself enjoy the calm while it lasted. It contrasted so greatly with the stakes of their quest, but it was a nice change of pace. Likely once they reached Haven things would take a change for the more intense. For now, she would let herself be distracted by the monotony of travel.

“Has anyone actually been to Haven before?” Weiss asked on the day they were meant to arrive at the city. She kept her arms wrapped firmly around Yang’s waist as they rode, showing no hint of bashfulness. They’d known each other too long for that. Yang only felt a gentle pressure through her armor. It was such a nice day she had her helmet off and tucked into her saddlebags. The sun on her face warmed her nearly as much as the shy smiles she exchanged with Blake.

“I haven’t, but I’ve read about it,” Blake said. “It’s said to be an extremely beautiful feat of engineering. The whole place is built on a mountain and some of the most impressive feats of magic in the world are used to keep it stable.”

Yang had to hold back a dreamy sigh. Now that Blake was coming out of her cowl more, she could listen to her talk all day. She didn’t even care about what. Blake just  _ knew _ so much, from reading or experience, and she talked about it with an air of confidence that completely enraptured Yang. That was the most unexpected part of this quest, and Yang couldn’t say she regretted it.

“It’s not just about beauty. It’s part of their military strategy. The mountain is difficult to climb, and the high ground gives defenders the advantage. It’s one of the few cities in the world that’s never been sacked,” Weiss said.

“That doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” Blake said. “If the Rose Knight is chasing the White Fang here, the city could be in danger.” 

Yang held back a chuckle at Blake’s endearing formality. She still insisted on referring to Ruby by her moniker despite both Weiss and Yang’s insistence it was alright to leave off. Yang wasn’t going to give her a hard time about it as she launched into a debate with Weiss about the city’s magical defenses that went way over Yang’s head. The sound of her voice was soothing. It was a little worrying how fast and intense her feelings rushed up on her, but she wasn’t about to let a good thing go to waste.

While her companions were deep in their discussion, Yang kept an eye on their surroundings. It wouldn’t do to be jumped when they were so close to their goal. Because of that, she was the first one to see the vague shape of a mountain rising in the distance.

“If you two are so interested in the city, why don’t you look at it yourselves?” She asked. She urged Bumblebee into a trot, leaving Blake and Shroud to catch up. They were cresting a hill that would no doubt give them a fantastic view of the city.

However, the view was not what she expected. Yang woahed Bumblebee, stomach filling with dread as they looked across the valley that encircled the mountain city, so deep the bottom was shrouded in mist. A single bridge spanned the gap, leading to the main gate. Above the gate fluttered an enormous banner, large enough that they could clearly see the emblem across it all the way from here.

The White Fang were in control of the city.

“This shouldn’t be possible. We’re too late,” Blake said, having ridded up beside Yang to view the city for herself. Her grip on her reins tightened and she visibly shook with fury. 

Yang herself was paralyzed. Her side, though healed for the most part, ached horribly. The delay was her fault. She was the one who fell for the enchantment. She wanted to fight the Grimm. She was the one who was injured. They might have made it in time if Kuroyuri didn’t throw them off their stride.

“Look at this sign,” Weiss said. “They painted over it. We aren’t looking at the Haven anymore. It’s New Menagerie, now.”

“How dare they?” Blake’s voice shook with venom as she glared at the sign with sloppy red paint declaring the rename. “This is more than wrong. I...how  _ dare _ they?” Yang dropped one of Bumblebee’s reins to place her hand over Blake’s, trying to offer some comfort. Blake laced their fingers together, squeezing with all her might. 

“We should get back. We’re vulnerable here,” Yang said, trying not to be too excited that Blake accepted her gesture. With leg commands, she turned Bumblebee around so they could take cover in the forest.

They dismounted a safe distance from the road and view of Haven. The sight of the White Fang’s banner drove conflicting emotions through them all. Anger and fear warred in Yang’s mind. She struggled to control them. The last thing they needed was to attract Grimm. While she should have been ok for a fight, there was a much larger one ahead of them. They couldn’t afford to waste their energy on a skirmish that could have been avoided. 

“Obviously this is less than ideal, but we still need a plan,” Yang said. Distracting herself by taking action would work. It always did.

“How? We can’t attack an entire city. And if Ruby was in the city when the White Fang took over, she’s either dead or in prison. You know she wouldn’t let this happen without a fight,” Weiss said.

“We’re definitely on the defensive now,” Yang agreed. “There’s not a whole lot we can do with just the three of us. We need information about the state of the city.”

“There might be a secret way in,” Blake said. “If we could find it, we could get in, gather intel, and figure out what to do from there.”

Weiss shook her head. “That wouldn’t work. If the White Fang are in control, they’d be on Yang and me in a heartbeat. They probably have a strict curfew on any human in the city, restricting the areas they’re allowed to be in. It’s what I would do if I was trying to take over.”

“Maybe Blake could go in,” Yang suggested. “There’s no way they could account for all the Faunus in the city. You’d be basically undetectable.” To Yang’s surprise, Blake shrunk in on herself. She crossed her arms protectively and hunched over them. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t be seen in the city either. The White Fang and I have a past. I’d be recognized immediately,” Blake said, her ears pinned flat against her head.

“Would that be a bad thing?” Yang asked. “There are ways notoriety can serve you well,” 

“In this case, no,” Weiss said. “I don’t think Blake should go in either.” Yang narrowed her eyes. Neither of her friends could meet her gaze.

“What’s going on. Do you two know something that I don’t?” She hated being suspicious of them, but they brought it on themselves. Both Blake and Weiss looked more uncomfortable than she’d ever seen. “Come on. Spill. Whatever it is can’t be that bad.”

“We’ll just have to find another way,” Weiss said, trying to change the subject.

“She deserves to know,” Blake said.

“Know what? You’re scaring me here.” Weiss shot Blake a glare that would have shut up the most arrogant noble. Blake ignored her, taking a breath to steady herself.

“Yang, I haven’t told you the whole truth. I was trying to find the right time to tell you, and this is far from it, but there’s no choice. The reason I can’t go in is that I was with the White Fang. And not just peripherally. I was deep, close with their leadership.” Yang’s muscles seized up in shock as the horrible statement washed over her.

“You...were?” She was still trying to connect what she was hearing with the Blake she knew. Had become close with, over the weeks they’d traveled together. Shared some of her darkest secrets with. That same Blake ran deep with the terrorist group that ruined her life and her kingdom. She turned to Weiss, who was cringing harder than she’d ever seen. “And you knew about this?”

“We didn’t keep it from you to hurt you,” Weiss said. “It was for the best. So you didn’t freak out like you are right now.”

“You do not get to decide what’s best for me when it comes to the White Fang,” Yang growled. Even she was surprised at the coldness in her voice. Weiss took a step back. “I thought you trusted me,” she said, rounding on Blake but addressing both of them. “Both of you are such... _ princesses _ .” Anger flashed in Blake’s eyes.

“I do trust you. I didn’t want you to think any less of me.” Yang couldn’t believe the hypocrisy. Did Blake think so little of her that she thought honesty would drive a wedge between them? Clearly, she did not understand Yang nearly as well as she thought just a few minutes ago.

She never got a chance to voice her thoughts. A branch snapped, and Yang whipped toward the sound. Her eyes widened. She barely got her sword out in time to block a blow from a war hammer that was aimed at her head.

Her attacker let out a growl and spun away in frustration. She was much shorter than Yang, but the strength of her blow revealed that she was a powerful warrior. She wielded the enormous, two-handed war hammer with practiced ease, bouncing on the soles of her feet. Studded leather armor protected her body while allowing for greater freedom of movement. The facemask of her helmet covered only the upper part of her face, leaving her feral grin exposed. The expression was quite unsettling, and her boldness at attacking the three of them while outnumbered made Yang wary in her approach.

“We’ll finish this later,” she growled to her companions, moving to attack. 

Her shield was completely destroyed by the dragon, so Yang fell into two-handed forms with her sword. Anger fueled her strikes as she met the warrior blow for blow. Each time she attacked she yelled, in frustration as much to lend power to each swipe. Her throat burned with her fury, but she was far too close to Weiss and Blake to release her magic the way she wanted to.

The ambusher danced out of her way with ease, lashing out with her hammer more often than anyone with such an evasive style should have been able to. Yang’s eyes turned red as she focused entirely on her opponent. She didn’t even notice any spells being cast by her friends. Yang couldn’t bring herself to mind. Their ambusher would rue the day she tried to cross The Dragon Knight.

A cry from Weiss broke Yang’s intense concentration. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes widening with fear at what she saw. A man in green had Weiss in a complex sleeper hold. His outfit blended into the forest, allowing him to sneak up on them with ease. Weiss’ rapier was only half-drawn, and she slumped with unconsciousness in just a few seconds.

“Weiss!” Yang screamed. As furious as she was with her at the moment, the direct threat made her mostly forget. She started in her direction, only to be cut off by the warrior she was dueling.

“Where do you think you’re going?” She taunted, sticking out her tongue. Yang hummed with uncertainty, watching Blake draw her daggers. The man reached for his own weapons; strange, sickle-like blades. He was unarmored and lost the advantage of surprise, but watching him take out Weiss so quickly made fear spike in Yang’s gut. This was more serious than her anger with Blake. They were in legitimate danger right now.

Yang threw herself back into battle, this time lashing out with more strategy. It was a mistake to underestimate the ambusher’s confidence. She watched her fighting style critically, searching for any weakness. The sound of Blake’s fight distracted her. Blades rang out against each other, as well as grunts from Blake and the man. Yang found herself on the defensive in her own fight, trying desperately to make it to Blake.

Her opponent wasn’t about to let that happen. Part of their ambush strategy was to engage them separately and it showed from the way the woman led Yang away from her ally. It was getting more and more difficult to watch Blake, to the point where Yang had to take her eyes off the woman she was fighting.

It turned out to be her downfall. She stared a little bit too long, watching with despair as Blake was driven on the defensive when the hammer caught her in her stomach. The breath was forced from her lungs and she barely remained upright as her half healed wounds shrieked with pain. Her arms didn’t have the strength to block the next blow, which caught her on the thigh. She dropped to the ground. Her vision flared white before darkening as she took a kick to the head, vulnerable without her helmet. Her sword fell out of her hands. She lost track of it, in too much pain to even think.

“Nice job, Ren!” The woman’s shrill voice pierced Yang’s fog. “Check their stuff to see if they have any rope. Or better yet, connections to the White Fang. I think two of them might be Faunus.” 

Oh no. Without her identifying helmet or shield with her emblem on it, Yang’s armor did make her appear rather animalistic. She groaned weakly, trying to lift limbs that didn’t have any strength. Something slammed into her back, pressing her into the ground. From the sound of metal on metal, it was the woman’s hammer.

“Ooh, this one still has some fight left,” she said. Yang’s blurry vision was enough to make out the outline of her drawing back a foot to kick her in the head again.

“Nora, wait!” The man, Ren, said. The rustling as he went through their bags stopped. “Look at this.”

“Oh shit! We just ambushed The Dragon Knight.” Nora sounded more impressed than regretful. Ren must have found her helmet, revealing her identity a little too late.

“Or an impersonator. We need to take them with us to prove her identity,” Ren said.

“No worries,” Nora crouched down to Yang’s level, turning her head so they could see eye to eye. Yang glared, though she was still too weak with pain to protest. 

“I am The Dragon Knight,” she snarled. On the ground with dirt and blood in her mouth, she sounded really believable. Even the urge to breathe fire had faded. She couldn’t summon a spark if she tried. 

Nora laughed. “Don’t worry. We know someone who will be able to tell. Up you go.” 

Yang was lifted onto her feet, another surprising display of strength from Nora. She wobbled but remained standing while the two warriors checked on Blake and Weiss, who were both unconscious.

“We’re not going anywhere with you,” Yang said. She had to put her hand out to steady herself against a tree.

“You just got your ass handed to you. We’re not giving you a choice,” Nora said. “If you are who you say you are, you’ll be glad you listened.” Yang stared at her two companions. Weiss was a crumpled tangle of limbs and there was blood at Blake’s temple. The sight sent rage coursing through her again. 

She leaned down to pick up her sword. The movement sent blood rushing to her head and she nearly fell over from the dizziness that ensued. Perhaps Nora was right. There was no way she could fight right now, and she didn’t have anyone to back her up. Reluctantly, she sheathed her sword.

“Alright. Lead the way.”


	14. Chapter 14

Yang led Bumblebee and Shroud on foot with Nora’s hammer pressed in her back. Nora forcefully woke Weiss and Blake, too impatient to let them regain consciousness on their own. They walked ahead of Yang, all three of them limping. Ren took point, guiding them to whatever their destination was. He moved through the forest like a wraith. That they could see him at all seemed like a deliberate choice on his part. He had Weiss’ rapier across his back and a truly impressive number of daggers confiscated from Blake in a sack at his hip. Nora carried Yang’s sword. Trust was apparently a very loose word to describe their dynamic.

“Exactly how many people know Yang?” Blake asked, leaning closer to Weiss to keep their conversation hushed. Yang strained her ears to listen in. Angry with the two of them as she was, the danger of their current situation trumped any feelings of betrayal in the battle for Yang’s attention.

“Quite a few. The Dragon Knight has a reputation that stretches outside of Vale,” Weiss whispered back. “Something else caught my attention. What did Yang mean when she called you a princess?” Blake’s shoulders tensed.

“You two shut up,” Yang interrupted. “We’re in danger.” They didn’t look back at her, but the way they ducked their heads told Yang they were properly chagrined. 

Yang told herself she interrupted for the group’s sake. If her reputation wasn’t enough to save them, she didn’t want to advertise that two of them were royalty. Ransom would be the first thing on their captor’s minds. It certainly wasn’t because Blake’s secrets were her own to tell, for whatever grief they caused Yang.

They were herded deep into the forest, far enough from the sightline of Mistral and anyone who would try to spend the night camping off the road. The vegetation became thicker the farther they went. Yang started to wonder if there was a destination at all, or if their captors were simply leading them on. Perhaps they knew a better, more out of the way place to take care of them for good.

Ren disappeared before them. Yang blinked at the suddenness of it, shaking her head to be sure Nora’s kick hadn’t messed with her vision permanently. One moment he’d been right there. The next, he was gone. Ahead, Weiss and Blake exchanged unsure looks with each other.

“Get moving!” Nora ordered. She prodded Yang with her hammer. Yang glared back at her as she obeyed.

Weiss and Blake disappeared in the same way Ren did. Yang braced herself as she approached the spot where they vanished. She stepped into some kind of barrier, feeling leaves and twigs brushing against the exposed skin of her face. The horses spooked, dancing away from the natural camouflage. It took some coaxing to get them through, gentle words murmured to comfort them.

Once they were, Yang’s jaw dropped. They stepped into a campsite encircled with a wall of strategically placed foliage. To anyone who didn’t know it was there, it was completely hidden. Even Yang would have trouble finding the place again. On one side of the clearing were three tents, smaller and more temporary than the ones in Raven’s camp. They looked like they’d been here for a while, with fallen leaves piled at their bases. In the center was a firepit with an iron cooking rack set up above it was dug between three large logs that served as benches. The other side of the camp had a picket line with five horses grazing calmly. Just in front of it, a woman with long red hair was filling the makeshift water trough. She looked up at the new visitors.

“This is...unexpected,” Weiss said. She had stopped in her tracks and was staring in amazement at the camp.

“Come sit down,” Ren said, inviting them over to the campfire. A large pot hung over the embers. The smell coming from it made Yang’s stomach growl with hunger. To her great reluctance, Nora took the horses from her and tethered them near the corral to introduce them to the other horses. She exchanged a few words with the other red haired woman, who started untacking them while Nora came back over to keep an eye on their guests. 

Ren left them to get comfortable, going off to the middle tent. Not wanting to make eye contact with her companions, Yang watched Bumblebee touch noses with the other horses. There was one bay with a crescent-shaped marking on its face that looked oddly familiar. Her eyes widened with realization just as the tent flap burst open.

“Oh my god. It’s really you,” Ruby cried when she laid eyes on Yang. Stunned, Yang didn’t manage to rise to her feet by the time her sister barreled into her with a hug. She fell backward off the log with a crash. Out of her armor, Ruby’s weight on top of her was negligible. Her momentum was what sent Yang tumbling. But she was there. She was really there.

“Ruby?” Yang asked, realization settling over her. She didn’t wait for confirmation, flinging her arms around her sister and returning the hug as hard as she could. Neither cared about Yang’s armor digging into Ruby’s skin uncomfortably, or the way Ruby’s weight aggravated Yang’s various injuries.

Yang’s eyes watered, and she squeezed them shut to keep tears from falling. Her breaths were shuddering, and she blamed it on Ruby’s arms around her neck crushing her windpipe. After so long apart, it hardly seemed real to find her again. The many months she’d spent following her trail all seemed worth it, her greater objective lost in their reunion.

After a long moment, Ruby finally let go, helping her back to her feet. Yang’s recent injuries smarted. She couldn’t bring herself to care. Not with Ruby standing in front of her, silver eyes shining. She gave her sister a quick once over, checking for any sign of injury. She seemed fine, strong as ever without any new visible scars.

“I can’t believe it. What are you doing here?” Ruby asked incredulously.

“Looking for you, of course. You didn’t think putting an ocean and two continents between us would keep me from you,” Yang said, giving Ruby’s arm a squeeze. Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Of course, that wouldn’t deter you. When Ren said he found someone with your armor, I couldn’t believe my ears. I had to come see for myself.”

“Well, here I am. In the flesh.” Yang spread her arms. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Plus, look who I ran into.” She gestured to Weiss, who was still sitting in shock. Ruby’s gaze lingered on Yang’s right arm before she followed her gesture. Her face lit up all over again.

“Your Highness!” She fell into a deep bow. Weiss blushed, her fair skin giving her away immediately. 

“We’ll have none of that, now.” She stood up and pulled Ruby into a hug. Ruby was gentler with her than she was with Yang, but she rested her chin on Weiss’ shoulder like old times. Weiss drew away, eyes narrowed. “You’re taller,” she said critically.

Ruby beamed. “Fresh air and lots of activity. You should try it sometime.” Weiss rolled her eyes.

“It’s so good to see you,” she said despite her annoyance.

“You too. And I think there are a few other people here you’ll be glad to see,” Ruby said. 

There was a movement by one of the tents, snatching Yang’s attention for the moment. So much was going on right now she had no idea what more could surprise her. She beamed when she saw the mop of blonde hair, longer than when she last saw it, and the lanky knight that came with.

“Jaune!” She dashed over to give him a hug that lifted him off the ground. They’d never been particularly close – he was more Ruby’s friend than hers – but anyone from Vale was a welcome sight at the moment.

“Hey! I heard you made it out here,” he said, wincing as she ruffled his hair. “And all by yourself. I’m impressed.”

“I wasn’t alone the whole time,” Yang said, nodding to her companions. With a start, she realized Blake was awkwardly still seated. She had retreated back into her cowl as more people emerged. There was no joy in this reunion for her.

Yang was about to speak up and introduce her when the red haired woman who was caring for the horses spoke up.

“So, it’s definitely her Ruby?” She asked, peering at Yang.

“I’d know my sister anywhere,” Ruby said confidently.

“You’ve picked up quite the entourage,” Weiss said to Ruby. She had a point. Yang only knew Jaune was accompanying her on her quest. To find a whole camp full of people was quite a surprise. Ruby’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, right! Introductions. Weiss, you remember Sir Jaune Arc, right? He was a squire with Yang and me. We were knighted together,” she said. Jaune gave her a short bow and Weiss curtseyed in response, though her lip was curled somewhat. Likely she was remembering all the times he tried to court her inappropriately. Ruby was quick to move on. 

“This is Dame Pyrrha Nikos.” The red-haired woman waved, smiling widely. “She’s a knight of Mistral. We fell in together when we landed on these shores. She was trying to get to Vale to help us, but when she heard of our quest she decided to tag along.”

“Lovely to meet you. Ruby’s told us all about you,” Pyrrha said, nodding her head to each of them in turn.

Ruby continued. “You already met Ren and Nora. We met them a short time after Pyrrha and have kind of been stuck together ever since.”

“Now  _ that’s _ a story,” Nora said in agreement.

“Sorry about ambushing you,” Ren said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We can’t be too careful with the White Fang around.”

“Though be glad it was us who took you down. Otherwise, you’d be in their clutches right now,” Nora said. Her fists were clenched at her sides, from battlelust or fear Yang couldn’t tell.

“We could have held our own,” Yang protested. The last thing she needed right now was to look incompetent in front of her sister. While Ruby was clearly glad to see her, Yang noticed she couldn’t take her eyes off of Yang’s arm. She left Vale before General Ironwood sent her a prosthetic. It had to be a confusing sight.

“Unlike you all, we managed to cross Mistral in a smaller group,” Weiss said to back her up. She turned to Ruby. “You have a thing about bringing people into the fold. First Jaune, then me, then everyone here.”

“Well, you haven’t met everyone,” Ruby said. “For security reasons, we try to keep three people watching camp and three people out working at accomplishing our goals. Someone should be coming back any minute now. But enough of that. Yang, what are you doing here? What’s with the…” she trailed off, gesturing vaguely at Yang’s arm.

“I’m curious about that too,” Jaune said. “The last time we saw you...well, let’s just say did you make a deal with a witch or something?”

“Not quite,” Yang said. She worked off her gauntlet and held up her prosthetic for everyone to see. “Ironwood kept his inventors busy. That man always pays his debts.”

“You have a metal arm!?” Nora exclaimed. “That is beyond incredible.” Ren elbowed her as Yang closed her fist involuntarily. For all the agony she went through to get it and the discomfort it still brought her, she’d take her real one back any day. Still, she wasn’t going to complain.

“Anyway, I’m back in fighting shape. You didn’t think I’d let my little sister complete my revenge quest for me, did you?” She asked. Ruby held up her hands in a placating gesture. 

“If you managed to cross Mistral and stay in one piece, I’d be happy for you to lend your sword to our fight,” she said. “Speaking of, it looks like I’m not the only one who’s made new friends.” She turned to Blake, who slowly moved to the edge of the group while they were all distracted. Yang’s stomach turned with guilt. She was too preoccupied with catching up and introductions that she nearly forgot about Blake.

“A Faunus friend,” Nora said, suspicion clear in her tone. Yang’s guilt melted away, reminded that she was furious at Blake. When she made no move to introduce her, Weiss stepped up.

“You shouldn’t judge her for her heritage. Blake’s been instrumental in helping Yang with her quest. They were together before they found me,” she said, leveling a stern look at Yang.

She didn’t have time to be chagrined, for at that moment the curtain of foliage parted for a knight in black armor. He froze in place seeing everyone gathered, throwing up his visor to show his unkempt face.

“Yang?” He stared at her in disbelief. “W-what are...is it really you?”

“Uncle Qrow!” Yang said in just as much shock. “I can’t believe Ruby roped you into this too.”

“Someone had to make sure she didn’t get into too much trouble,” he said. “It’s good to see you back on your feet.” His red eyes were sunken. He looked exhausted as usual. 

It was unnerving to see him so soon after dealing with Raven. Unlike his sister, Qrow remained loyal to their adopted kingdom. Yang knew Raven’s betrayal weighed on him, especially since they’d come to Vale looking for a better life together. She wondered how he’d react when she told him about her recent meeting. He’d always been a good uncle to her, extending the same to Ruby who always trusted him more blindly than Yang did. He was a good knight, but he wasn’t perfect. Yang wondered who was getting who into trouble.

“You said you’re here to help on our quest?” Jaune asked, breaking the awkwardness. “That’s good I suppose. Brings our chances up from completely zero to maybe we won’t all die.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, kid,” Qrow said, removing his helmet. His hair was flattened to his head in odd spikes. “I just got back from Haven Castle. Looks like our suspicions are confirmed. We’re going to have a hell of a fight ahead of us.”

“Good to hear you haven’t been lazing about entirely,” Yang said, trying to keep things positive. 

“Us? Lazy? Never.” Qrow shook his head, striding over to the firepit and collapsing onto a log next to Jaune. “We’ve been working our asses off trying to figure out a way to free Haven for weeks now.” Yang didn’t have to ask how that was going by virtue of the fact they were squatting in the woods.

“We have quite a bit of intel, thanks to Qrow,” Ruby said. “But there’s no way to get into the city, let alone the castle. We’d be captured the moment we came in sight of the walls.”

With everything they revealed, Yang’s hopes sank even further. Jaune was right that they made a better force now they were together, but it would take an army to make a frontal assault so much as feasible. Without one, they’d need to sneak in, an impossible feat since the only entrance to Haven itself was a narrow bridge that was no doubt heavily guarded.

Besides, Yang thought as she cast an eye over the group, she wasn’t sure they had the power to do what needed to be done. Pyrrha was a complete unknown, and last time she saw Jaune fight he was cornered and barely holding his own. His combat skills were barely good enough for him to have been knighted, and he earned the title for his other virtues. Nora and Ren were a bit better, but from the single time Yang saw them fight she already knew their strength came from taking their opponent off guard. 

“Well, we’re definitely not going to try anything soon. You all look like Nora and Ren gave you a hard time,” Pyrrha said, nodding at the dents in Yang’s armor and Weiss and Blake’s bruises.

“Some of the wear is from the road,” Yang protested, not wanting to admit just how badly they were defeated. “You wouldn’t believe some of the things that we faced.” The others in Ruby’s group shared a look.

“We should take some time to catch up,” Jaune said. “Compare adventures and see who’s been on the craziest one. I have some stories that might impress you, Yang. Look.” He tugged at the collar of his tunic, pulling it aside to reveal a jagged scar across his collarbone that continued underneath his shirt. Yang grinned, happy to latch onto their old banter of Jaune trying to impress her like a little brother would.

“That’s nothing. Let me get my armor off and I’ll show you a scar,” Yang said, pulling off her other gauntlet. Qrow gave her an appalled look. “What? You should get comfortable too. We’re not going anywhere tonight, and I know you're dying to hear what we’ve been up to.”

“Sounds a little mushy for my taste,” Qrow said, tapping his fingers against his helmet. “You kids catch up. I’m going to take another circuit around to make sure nothing is out there that will surprise us.” With that, he fit his helmet over his head, rose to his feet, and disappeared through the camouflage.

Yang watched him go with a furrowed brow. She knew he was always more of a loner, but this seemed a little extreme. They were all still feeling the strain from the fall of Beacon, and with another kingdom’s fate hanging in the balance nerves were bound to be frayed. Yang felt it herself, though her joy in reuniting with her sister balanced out the horror somewhat.

“Ugh, there’s the stick up his ass again,” Nora said, rolling her eyes. “He doesn’t have to be that much of a downer.”

“He can’t change who he is,” Ren said, rising to his feet and heading toward one of the tents. “I’ll get dinner started. You all catch up.”

“You won’t be disappointed. Ren is an amazing cook,” Jaune said, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Now Yang, what was this about new scars?”

If there was anything Yang learned since the fall of Beacon, it was to take moments of rest where she could. While today had been overall disheartening, she couldn’t let it affect her for long. Not with friends both old and new gathered around a fire, whole and relatively safe. Tomorrow would be the time for worrying about what was to come. For now, Yang would exhale and soak up what she’d missed for almost a year.


	15. Chapter 15

While dinner hadn’t been an outright celebration, at the end of it Yang’s belly and heart were surprisingly full. Ruby had done well for herself in the time they’d been apart, growing into a true leader if her and the others' stories were anything to go by. They all held her in a certain regard, and it made Yang’s heart glow to see it.

There was another underlying purpose to their improvised feast. There were only days at most before they would all be marching into battle together. With so few of them, camaraderie was vital to their success. A stranger at one’s back was hardly better than having no one at all if trust was nonexistent. Swapping stories went a long way toward building that trust, especially as Weiss took over to talk about their adventure at Kuroyuri.

“You actually killed it?” Ren asked severely. Nora sat beside him, clutching his arm in a death grip while her lip trembled. “Our home is at peace?”

“I’m sorry to take your revenge from you,” Yang said, feeling oddly guilty about their deeds, “but yes. We all saw the ash, and in the days we remained there the presence began to dissipate.”

“As much as I would have loved smashing that thing to bits, I’m glad it’s gone,” Nora snarled. 

“We owe you a great debt,” Ren said. “Ruby promised we could return to free Kuroyuri once Mistral was safe, but it seems you’ve fulfilled that promise for her.”

“With what you’re about to help us with, consider us even,” Yang said. A sudden chill washed over the camp, the only sounds from the crackling fire and the forest around them as she reminded them all what was ahead of them. She fiddled with her empty plate, realizing they were only drawing out the inevitable with their good spirits.

“I think we should start our preparations,” Ruby said, her words hammering home the end of their pleasant meal. “The longer we wait, the more entrenched the White Fang’s control over Haven will become.”

“Agreed,” Jaune said. “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so we may as well prepare the best we can.” Leaving his plate off to the side, he stood up to retrieve his sword and pack, rummaging through the latter to pull out a whetstone.

“With magic we could probably infiltrate Haven’s defenses,” Pyrrha said. Her eyebrows were pulled tightly together as her conflict over giving up her kingdom’s defensive weaknesses shone through. For the moment, it wasn’t her kingdom, and her knowledge of Haven had been an enormous boon for their reconnaissance.

With dinner officially over, everyone wandered off as if to reset their expectations before returning to the fire. Yang sharpened her sword along with Ruby and Jaune. There was little talk now. Their enjoyment of each other’s company now happened in silence. Yang wondered who among them she would be able to get to know better once this was all over. Despite some rough first impressions, she liked these people. Trusted them enough to march into battle together.

Once the sun had set, Qrow returned like a grim shadow. Seeing the younger knights in a more serious mood, he nodded once with satisfaction before joining them.

As she set about preparing her blade, Yang practiced mental exercises to go along with the rhythmic scrape of her whetstone. She needed to make her peace with whatever was going to happen, possibly starting in just a few hours.

Only one thing was blocking her. Though she tried not to, her eye was continuously drawn to where Blake sat with Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha. She tended to her weapons as gravely as anyone, muttering a few words to Weiss every so often. She’d been quite through most of dinner, sticking close to Weiss as Yang ignored her for the most part. Caught up in a thousand emotions at once, Yang shoved most of her negative ones aside in favor of others.

Her feelings toward Blake were a raging storm that she wasn’t ready to approach until there was nothing else distracting her from it. Their quest was so close to its culmination, but at the same time her trust was so completely shattered she didn’t know if she would be able to pick up the pieces. They hadn’t managed to talk since Blake’s past came out into the open, and it was the one thing keeping Yang from the battle calm which could mean life or death.

With her sword sharpened to her satisfaction, Yang put it away. It would do no good to grind the blade into nothing. She stood up, drawing stares as she did so. Ignoring them, she went over to Blake.

“I would like to speak with you. Privately,” she said, keeping her voice low. Blake’s daggers disappeared, and she stood up.

“Don’t stray too far,” Qrow said without looking up from his sword. He made Yang want to roll her eyes with how obvious his advice was. Her mood had soured immensely since he returned as the gravity of their situation fell upon all of them.

Blake followed her silently as Yang led them just outside the encampment, far enough that they wouldn’t be overheard. Her face was cautiously guarded as Yang stopped them and leaned against a tree.

“We should discuss what came to light before we were attacked,” Yang said, doing her best to remain neutral. Blake’s ears perked up, betraying her mask of calm.

“We should,” she echoed. Yang inhaled to steady herself. She was not going to say what Blake wanted to hear. There was no point dancing around the subject. Yang didn’t have the tact for it. Not after pushing her feelings aside, letting them simmer for hours

“My whole life has been sworn to justice and integrity. While I understand why you did it, the fact that you lied threw everything I believe right in my face,” she said.

Blake winced at her harsh words and Yang wished she wanted to take them back. “I thought we were becoming friends. What happened to the benefit of the doubt?” 

"I did give you the benefit of the doubt. I knew from the beginning your past was haunted. And as we became friends, you had plenty of opportunities to confide in me.” She stumbled over the word friends and her anger faded to hurt. “I thought you were. And admittedly, I thought friends was a poor definition of what we were becoming.”

“I didn’t tell you exactly because of the way you’re reacting,” Blake said. “Weiss told me you had personal trauma and I wished to respect that.”

“That you brought Weiss in but not me is a further violation! I told you about my past. You were plenty aware of what the White Fang means to me, and still, you said nothing.” Yang’s metal fist clenched, anger and hurt spilling from her heart. 

Blake did not respond, though her ears twitched as she stared into the trees. She was completely still, barely acknowledging Yang’s words at all. The silence stretched and Yang’s skin burned.

“Well? Say something, dammit!”

“Be quiet and get down!” Blake hissed, falling into a crouch behind a bush. 

“Are you serious?” Yang asked, the smallest of flames escaping from her lips.

“Quite serious,” a third voice came from the shadows. Yang’s fury was instantly doused, and her hand flew to her sword as she spun toward the sound. She could see nothing. “Blake, I already know you’re there. You can stop hiding.”

“Why don’t you stop hiding first,” Blake said, prompting a heavy sigh from thin air.

“You’re so stubborn. Fine.” Not ten feet from them, the faunus thief who tried to rob Yang right before she teamed up with Blake materialized from thin air. No, not thin air. Her camouflage was that good. Yang jumped back in shock.

“Were you listening this whole time?” Blake asked, rising to her feet.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. You ran right into me,” the thief said. Yang blinked in confusion. 

“Why do you seem to know each other?” Yang asked, looking between the two. Blake’s eyes went wide, telling Yang all she needed to know. “Ah. White Fang.”

“Don’t leap to conclusions,” the thief said. “I’m not with them any more than Blake is.”

“Why are you here then, Ilia?” Blake stepped forward, putting herself between Yang and the thief. She wasn’t trying to diffuse the situation. Her hand on her dagger said she was clearly hostile toward Ilia, no matter if they knew each other or not.

“Because,” Ilia took a deep breath, looking each of them in the eye in turn. “I’m here to help you beat them.”

* * *

It took every ounce of Yang’s self control to keep herself from sneezing as her nose itched fiercely from all the hay dust. That would be disastrous for more than one reason. The attention it would draw to their wagon would be negligible if she sent them all up in flames first.

The wagon rocked against the cobblestones, hurting her knees as she knelt on the wooden floor of it. The only person she could see was Ruby, who was pressed against her right side. Their armor scraped against each other and despite the hay they were buried in muffling the sound, it set Yang’s nerves on edge.

When Blake and Yang brought Ilia back to their camp, everyone’s spirits immediately rose. With another faunus on their side, a plan coalesced nearly out of thin air. One stolen wagon later and they were riding through the streets of Haven with Ilia in the driver’s seat and everyone else concealed in the back. Sweat dripped into Yang’s eyes and her chest felt like it was going to burst from stress. Was it taking too long to get to the castle? They definitely made a mistake in trusting Ilia, who only had Blake as a shaky character witness.

There was a distant shout Yang barely heard over the clattering wheels, and the wagon rolled to a stop. Heavy footsteps and jangling gear told Yang they came across a set of guards. 

“What business have you at the castle?” One of them asked.

“I have supplies to deliver, you moron,” Ilia said, voice tinged with annoyance. “Now let me through.” Yang had to admit she had a knack for subterfuge. It was hard to believe she was living as a petty thief instead of using her talents.

“We only allow shipments in before sunset,” the guard said. Ilia groaned.

“Look, I was supposed to be here hours ago but I got held up on the road. Please let me in? They’re going to be furious if they don’t get these supplies.”

The guards muttered amongst themselves for a moment, during which Yang’s hand tightened on her sword. There was always the possibility they’d have to fight through the gate, but at least they were basically inside the castle.

“Alright, we’ll let you in,” the guard said. “But we need to search your wagon first.”

“By all means,” Ilia said. The wagon rocked as the guards stepped up into it. “Just keep your torches away from my supplies.”

There was a collective holding of breath from everyone hidden. Most of them hadn’t experienced Blake’s illusions before, and there was some doubt that it would hold up under inspection. Yang carefully counted out her breaths as the wait stretched longer and longer. It was starting to look like they would have to fight sooner than they would have liked.

“All clear,” the call came and Yang’s shoulders slumped. The wagon started up again, its clattering covering up the sound of her ragged breathing.

“This is as far as I go,” Ilia said as she stopped the wagon. There was only so far she was willing to go in betraying the organization she was once part of. She wasn’t a front line fighter anyway.

“You’ve done more than enough for us,” Ruby said, rising from the hay. Her armor clanked and Yang heard Weiss hiss at the noise. “Get yourself to safety. This should be over soon one way or another.”

Yang barely heard Ilia leave the wagon, but she saw Ruby nod in satisfaction once she was a safe distance away, signalling to the rest of them that it was time.

“The fun’s about to begin,” Qrow drawled. He dropped out of the wagon and unsheathed his greatsword. The stealth part of their mission was over, as the rest of them clanked out after him.

One by one, they flooded out of the stables into the courtyard. Yang had a borrowed shield on her arm and stepped up shoulder to shoulder with Ruby and Pyrrha. Their plan relied on the knights being an unstoppable wall pushing forward while the others made sure they weren’t surrounded or completely overwhelmed. 

A shout went up from the guards as they first noticed the infiltration in their walls. They scrambled to mount a defense as the knights marched toward the keep. 

The first wave of guards was disorganized and easy to cut down. Yang barely broke a sweat as they pushed forward, amazed at their success. It was interesting seeing how Jaune and Pyrrha worked like two halves of the same whole. He’d never been the most skilled at combat, but clearly, he’d hit his stride on Ruby’s quest. Pyrrha moved with skill and precision that would have sent Yang running if she had to fight her. She was definitely the right choice for point. Ruby herself was unstoppable, swinging a great sword as big as she was with both hands. On the far end of the line, Qrow employed the same methods as his niece. With their reach, it was up to them to keep their flanks clear. 

Yang felt nothing as the White Fang raised the alarm and continued to engage them. Each swing of her sword sowed death or injury, masked individuals falling before her. The rest of her was cold and mechanical as her sword arm. 

They pushed across the courtyard with ease. Whole groups of the enemy fell to fire and ice that rained from the sky at Weiss’ command. Others cowered to sights Yang couldn’t see, cut down by the knights or Nora with ease. Ren flitted about in her peripheral, taking out any archers trying to shoot them down. 

They waded to the door of the keep while the defenders were still completely disorganized. Two White Fang soldiers were frantically hauling it shut, ignoring their fellows who were frantically trying to get to safety. Yang growled. If that door closed, they’d have a hell of a time getting inside while contending with arrows and tar falling on them from the walls. With a roar, she broke the line, dashing for the doors. She shoved her sword arm through the narrowing gap, not feeling any pain as the door crushed it. Unable to see her targets, she lashed out with her sword wildly and the tension holding the door shut relaxed. Flinging the door open, she took care of the guards while waiting for her friends to catch up.

Yang stayed in a fighting stance as everyone gathered around her, though the entrance hall was empty. Her eyes scanned the balcony, searching for movement.

“That was reckless, Yang,” Qrow admonished. Yang let his words slide off like they were nothing.

“We needed to get inside,” she said lifelessly. “Caution doesn’t matter when it could get us all slaughtered.”

Qrow threw up his visor like he wanted to argue, but Ruby stepped between them. “It’s fine,” she said, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. She was breathing heavily, and through the slits in her helmet, Yang could see the incredulous expression directed toward her. “No more heroics, Yang.” She didn’t respond, turning instead to make sure no enemies tried to follow them. She wasn’t being heroic, but now was not the time for arguments.

Once they were all through, Weiss stepped up to the door. With a few murmured words, ice spouted in the cracks, sealing the door entirely.

“That ought to hold them off for a while,” she said looking pleased with herself. 

They set off again, their clanking armor echoing around the hauntingly empty space. Two sets of stairs split from each other, leading up to the balcony. Yang, Qrow, and Ruby lead the way up one set, Jaune and Pyrrha the other. They met back up at the top. 

Ruby peered down the hallway that extended before them. “The leaders should be as deep inside as they can get. I bet they’re rallying around them. We’ll push through the same way we did in the courtyard. Ren, Nora, watch our backs. Weiss and Blake, get ready in case there are any traps ahead. Let’s move.”

The stone hallways amplified the noise they made into a full racket. Yang thought the castle was beautiful beneath the White Fang banners hanging all over the place and the darker spots on the wall where items had previously been on display. The castle was clearly built for beauty over function, a far cry from the one at Beacon. As they climbed higher and higher, Yang hoped it could return to that. As it stood now, it was nothing but a reminder of everything the White Fang took

“It’s kind of eerie without anyone here,” Nora commented as they started up yet another staircase too narrow to climb any way but single file. Ruby, Qrow, Pyrrha, and Jaune were already started up it while the others gathered at the base. They’d cleared at least four stories by now. Haven was built vertically, which was where the challenge in assaulting it lay. “Where do you think they all are?”

“Oh, we’ve been watching,” a vaguely familiar voice made the hair on the back of Yang’s neck rise. She spun around, raising her sword only to fall limp as she took in the figure at the end of the hall.

The man in black stood casually, one hand on the hilt of his still sheathed sword. Though a new mask to replace the one Yang destroyed covered his eyes, she could feel his glare of hatred burning hotter than anything she’d ever felt. Yang’s arm from ached at the memory of the last time they’d been face to face.

“You’ve cut through my men easily, let’s see if you can bear to face me again, Dragon Knight,” he said, singling her out cruelly. 

Faster than she could blink, he was halfway down the hall. Yang’s hand shook. For as firmly as her battle calm had been in place moments ago, the mere sight of him shattered it like it was nothing. She was frozen, unable to move even to defend her friends. Everyone else seemed just as shocked. Everyone except Blake.

There was no hesitation in her as she rushed forward to meet the man in black. She caught his sword with two of her crossed daggers, the longer ones she used for hand to hand combat. Her hood fell back as she moved, and the man’s jaw dropped in shock.

“You all go on ahead,” Blake said, ears twitching with fury. “He’s mine.” She pushed against him hard, throwing him into the wall.

Her friends started moving again, though Yang was still stuck in place. She watched Blake and the man come together, exchanging blows that sent sparks off each of their weapons. It clicked why she felt so numb during the battle. She wasn’t calm. She killed off her feelings so she wouldn’t have to experience the hurt and fear that was pouring through her at the sight of Blake leading the deadly enemy away so they all could have a chance at succeeding in their mission.

“Yang, let’s go!” Ruby called from ahead of her as Blake and the man in black disappeared around a corner. She shook herself out of her stupor, reluctantly following up the stairs though it felt like there was an anchor drawing her back.

She was furious at Blake, Yang reminded herself. Blake lied to her. And she was putting her life on the line for everyone’s sake. She had to know how dangerous the man she faced was, if she spent time with the leadership. She probably knew him personally. And here Yang was, leaving her to face him alone. She hated herself for her cowardice, but there was no way she could face him after their last encounter. Wasn’t there?


	16. Chapter 16

Blake raced around the corner, pushing off the far wall with one foot to avoid running into it. Blood roared in her ears, nearly drowning out the sound of metal against stone as Adam’s sword struck the wall where she was just a second ago. With barely a thought, she summoned two copies of herself. She felt rather than saw Adam slice through one of them, dissipating it like mist.

“I always knew you were a coward, but I didn’t know how much until just now,” Adam yelled. This time, he struck for her, not a clone. Blake only just managed to dodge in time, his sword flashing over her shoulder close enough to slice across her jaw.

“I’m no coward,” she said, striking out with a dagger. Adam blocked it with the flat of his blade. 

Indeed, the rushing in her ears was from exhilaration rather than fear. She was almost relieved to be fighting Adam, to be doing something to atone for her past. She engaged him just enough to keep his attention before flitting away. All she could think of was luring him away from her friends. If he hurt any of them, it would kill her. From the way Yang froze when he appeared, Blake guessed she had her own encounter with him before. At least she listened to her for once. Blake saw her rushing up the stairs with everyone else. Blake was satisfied. She’d be even more damned if she let Adam ruin the first good thing she found since leaving him. She’d done enough damage herself.

“Everything you’re showing me begs to differ,” Adam said as Blake dodged another one of his strikes. His fury which Blake once mistook for passion bubbled just below the surface. She could feel his restraint like a tangible thing. His blows were aimed to injure, not kill. 

Ahead of her, the hallway descended in a short flight of stairs. Instead of running down them, Blake pumped her legs harder to get a lead on Adam. She leaped, pushing off as hard as she could, twisting in the air so her feet hit the wall at the bottom of the stairs first. Again, she kicked out, propelling herself down the hall. If there was one thing other than magic her days with the White Fang taught her, it was how to run. Even Adam had a hard time keeping up with her when she was really moving.

Having bought herself some time, she rounded another corner into an open solarium. It was perfect, large enough for her to spread out and fight strategically. She let the door slam behind her, latch falling into place to give herself a few seconds to catch her breath. There was a stitch in her side she was desperately trying to ignore, even as it nearly tore her apart. She twirled her daggers in her hands nervously, fixing her grip. Adam’s yell was muffled from the other side of the door. It bulged as he slammed himself against it. The latch splintered. Blake took a breath and cast one final illusion as the door burst open.

Adam half fell through the doorway, head whipping about as he searched for her. He sheathed his sword and slowed himself. Blake could see his chest heaving, the spittle at the corners of his mouth. She stayed absolutely still. He was familiar with her tricks. It likely wouldn’t last long.

“It didn’t have to come to this,” Adam said. His voice was deceptively even. “There’s still time for you to prove you’re on the right side. After all, you’re here, aren’t you?” He took a step, beginning a circle around the room. His footsteps rang out against the stone. Just a few more…

“You can go to hell,” Blake said, striking low with one dagger and high with the other. Adam moved to block her low strike, but he was too slow to dodge entirely out of the way of the high one. The edge of her blade caught his cheek. It knocked against his mask with a clang, sending it flying.

She danced out of the way as he hunched over, clutching his face. His thin form shook as rage took over entirely. He straightened out, murder glaring out from his face. It was not one Blake recognized, to her horror. Blood dripped from the small cut she gave him, mirroring the ruin of one of his blue eyes. The monster he was on the inside was finally starting to show through on his face. They stood frozen in each other’s gaze, absorbing what had just passed between them.

“I see,” he said. Blake knew it was the last straw as the shadows around him darkened.

He struck like an explosion, and Blake barely managed to block him. Her arms shook under the weight of holding back his sword. His face was inches from hers, teeth bared and eyes wild. He drew back to strike again.

“Don’t you remember what we had?” He screamed. His attacks were sloppy but strong, stronger than Blake ever felt before. She did everything in her power to dodge or redirect, knowing that sooner or later her strength would give out and she wouldn’t be able to block him. “Everything we fought for?”

“We were wrong,” Blake cried. The lump in her throat wasn’t from exertion. She was glad Yang listened to her for once. Blake didn’t want her to see her die. “I won’t fall for your lies any longer.”

Adam roared furiously, stepping into a new round of attacks. If Blake needed any confirmation he was taking it easy on her before, this was it. She used every trick she knew, magic, steel, maneuver. Adam still drove her back. Her knives were no match for his sword.

Her back hit a smooth, cold surface. Adam planted one foot, leaning back to kick her solidly in the chest with the other. The breath whooshed out of her as shards of glass shredded her back. The window. He kicked her out the window. 

There was a slanted tiled roof several feet below. She slammed into it, rolling, down, down, down. She managed to throw out her hand, grabbing the rough stone gutter at the edge of the roof just in time. One of her daggers fell, disappearing into the courtyard a hundred feet below. Blake’s stomach swooped as she looked at the drop. 

She scrambled onto the roof, steadying herself against a crouching stone gargoyle. Her back and shoulders burned with a hundred cuts. She watched Adam’s shadow a half story above in the shattered window. He kicked out some of the glass. Blake threw up an arm to protect her eyes from it and she missed him leaping down to her level. Her only warning was the thump of his feet as he landed. 

“Of all the ways this could have ended, I never thought it would be like this,” Adam said coolly. He took a step, boots crunching over broken glass. Blake was at the far edge of the roof. She felt the mountain wind tearing at her, its fingers digging into the folds of her cloak, trying to claw her from the roof. She feared not the darkness or the drop now she was faced with her worst nightmare. If he thought she was done putting up a fight, he was sorely mistaken.

“I did,” she said. The words took more effort than anything she’d done in her life, save perhaps leaving the White Fang. “The moment I left, I knew.” 

Adam’s good eye flashed. He struck with his sword, and Blake dodged. She grabbed the arms of the gargoyle, feet leaving the roof as she swung herself around the statue to keep it between herself and Adam. It wobbled frighteningly, but she didn’t let fear stop her momentum. With a yell, she came around the other side and kicked Adam in the chest. He stumbled back, and she retreated further up the roof, fighting back disappointment that he didn’t go over the edge.

Adam recovered quickly and was on the attack once again. This time, Blake had to block or be cut in half. There was enough strength behind the blow that Blake’s remaining dagger shook with force. The reverberations were too intense for her to hold onto and it clattered to the roof.

This really was it. Adam loomed above her. She had no tricks left up her sleeve. Nothing but the drop behind her. Maybe at least it would give her a way she could take him with her. At least her friends escaped. She closed her eyes, not out of cowardice. She closed them to think of Yang, her smile, her laugh. If this was her last thought, she wanted it to be of someone she loved.

The blow never came, but a metallic racket made her flinch. Something slammed against the roof and raced toward them.

“What the…” Adam didn’t get to finish the thought. Blake opened her eyes in time to see something shiny and golden slam into him, pushing him down the slope of the roof. He yelled, arms pinwheeling as he lost his balance. She held her breath, but he caught himself right at the edge. Him going down so easily was too much to hope for.

Blake wasn’t concerned with him for the moment. “Yang,” she breathed. It was almost as though her thoughts had summoned her. Yang held out a hand, lifting her to her feet ever so gently.

“I wasn’t going to leave you behind,” she said thickly. “That’s not what...you mean more to me than that.” 

“More than a heavy lie?” Blake asked. Yang’s lavender eyes were so sad behind her visor. So sad, and so determined.

“Find your weapon,” she said in a way that almost sounded like  _ I love you _ . She charged Adam again, leaving Blake to scoop up her remaining dagger from the rooftop.

Adam screamed in fury as he met Yang blow for blow. Blake rushed into the fight, ducking up from behind Yang to strike like an adder. Adam drove them back up to the peak of the roof with sheer fury, attacking so fast Yang could only catch his sword on her shield without managing any strikes of her own. Blake maneuvered around him so he would have to contend with attackers from both sides, freeing up Yang from pure defense.

Even two on one, Adam was formidable. He didn’t get to where he was through sheer force without having the strength to back it up. His style stayed aggressive, footing sure on the uneven ground. He lashed out toward Blake, who rolled away from his strike. She was exhausted, barely able to keep up the fight. Adam knew it, so he turned to Yang, who was the real threat at the moment.

“Well, this is mightily familiar, isn’t it?” He said, stepping out from an overhand swing of Yang’s. Her sword bit into the shingles, leaving a cleaved mark Blake wished was in Adam’s head. 

“Not sure what you’re referring to,” Yang growled. Blake wanted desperately to yell at her to stop, to not engage him. He was only trying to get in her head, but Blake didn’t have the breath to stop him. Despite his easy stance, she saw how he fought for breath. His hands shook on his sword. Words were his only great weapon left.

“I guess it is. Especially since you found a way to replace what I took from you.” Yang froze. Her shield wobbled as her arm shook. Blake stared at her in confusion. “I wonder. Is Blake as interchangeable as a limb appears to be?” Blake’s stomach dropped faster than when she was hanging off the edge of the roof.

“That’s not going to be a problem,” Yang said. She lunged forward before Blake could warn her off. Blake herself was rooted to the spot.  _ Adam _ had been the one she fought at Beacon so long ago? It couldn’t be true. He couldn’t be this entrenched in her life.

Yang was reckless, furious in her attacks. Adam dodged them all. She was too sloppy. Blake could see him leading her closer to the edge. Her limbs wouldn’t respond, the pain from her cuts was all-encompassing.

“Pull it together, Yang!” She cried. “Remember the dragon.” Blake hoped she did. It was hard to read her underneath all that armor. Summoning her last bit of strength, she reached inside her cloak, drawing out one of her throwing knives.

Something changed as Blake’s words washed over Yang. She slowed, just enough to be noticeable. Her stance tightened, shifting herself ever so slightly to the side so Blake could get a clear aim. Adam took it as her slowing her attack. He grinned. His sword flashed, but instead of catching it on her shield, Yang dropped her own sword. Her hand came up, catching Adam’s blade.

“I’m not alone this time. Neither of us is,” she said. Blake drew back her arm. When her magic failed her, steel would do. She threw her knife with all the force she could muster. It hit Adam right in the throat. He crumpled unceremoniously, falling backward off the edge of the roof.

Yang stood in place at the edge, watching him fall. She was as unmoving as the stone gargoyles on either side of her. For a moment, Blake worried she would stay there forever, dappled light from the broken window illuminating her from behind. Then, she turned, bent down to pick up her sword. 

Adrenaline and tension flowed out of Blake like a broken dam. Her knees shook to keep her upright. It was a valiant effort, but it only lasted a few seconds before she collapsed. Her entire body shook, and her eyes blurred with tears. From pain, relief, anguish; she couldn’t tell.

The last thing she saw was Yang rushing up to her before unconsciousness overtook her. 


	17. Chapter 17

When Blake awoke, she was safely cocooned in a bed softer than anywhere she’d slept in recent memory. Her shoulders felt tight, and as she worked her way out of the pile of blankets, she felt stitches pull along her skin. Reaching back to investigate, she found bandages wrapped over the cuts. Memories from her battle with Adam flashed in her mind. Yang must have carried her off the roof. As she slowly came back to herself, her awareness extended to her surroundings.

The room was oddly bare of decoration, but the architecture clearly indicated she was still in Haven. A chair with most of her belongings strewn over it stood next to her bed, and sunlight streamed through the open window. Wincing against the bright light and the pull of her injuries, Blake swung her legs over the edge of the bed, sliding her boots on. She stood, pausing only to grab her cloak and a throwing knife. She would have preferred her longer daggers, but it was all she had at the moment. She dressed and left the room in search of someone who knew what was going on.

She found her answer in the front hall of the castle. Peering over the balcony, she watched Weiss oversee a crew of workers entering the castle. If she thought Weiss was put together in the forest, it was remarkable how prim she became with access to society.

“Make sure you don’t drop anything. Some of what you’re carrying is very fragile,” she was saying.

Someone gave a startled yelp to Blake’s left. She spun toward the noise, locking eyes with a surprised worker carrying a crate.

“Y-your Highness?” The worker called over her shoulder. Blake stood up, her cover blown.

Weiss rolled her eyes. “It’s alright, she does that. Carry on.”

Blake glided down the stairs, doing her best to conceal any lingering hesitation in her stride. 

“I take it this means we were victorious,” she said once she reached Weiss on the ground floor. 

“We were, though it was a hard fight,” Weiss said, grabbing Blake by the elbows to look at her straight on. One of her eyes was slightly blackened, and there were bandages on her right hand. “Are you alright? It’s good to see you’re up and around, but should you be?”

“I’m fine,” Blake said softly. Weiss visibly relaxed. She pulled Blake into a gentle embrace, mindful of the wounds on her back. After a brief hesitation, Blake hugged her back. “What’s going on? Where is everyone?”

“After we ousted the White Fang, the castle kind of fell into our control,” Weiss said. Blake had few misconceptions about how that happened. “King Lionheart and some of the council members died in the attack, so we’re stepping in to help them out until they can get back on their feet. We’re actually supposed to be meeting about that pretty soon. I was just finishing up here. Come on, I’ll show you the way.”

“Did anyone...” Blake trailed off, unable to finish asking the question as they climbed the main staircase. It was odd doing this with no sense of urgency, compared to when they were assaulting this place.

“Everyone from our group made it. Though it was a close call for some,” she said. Her hand went to her side unconsciously. Now that Blake noticed, she could see Weiss was holding herself very deliberately, taking slow, careful steps. “You’re the last one to wake up. It’s been almost a full day.”

“You wondered if I should be resting. Now I’m wondering the same about you?” Blake narrowed her eyes. Weiss looked away.

“Probably. There’s too much to be done, though.” Blake chose to let it slide, but she quietly shifted closer to Weiss so their shoulders brushed as they walked. Her time on this quest didn’t just bring her closer to Yang. Against all odds, she found herself caring for Weiss as well.

They entered a suite of rooms that had Qrow’s armor piled up in one corner. Blake slipped in unobtrusively after Weiss, letting her arrival draw everyone’s greetings. She couldn’t help the sigh of relief seeing everyone all together and in one piece. Weiss was trustworthy but seeing for herself brought more assurance. Not one of them was unscathed, injuries marked by awkward postures or bandages. Blake’s attention was drawn immediately to Yang. 

Like the rest of them, she was also out of her armor, dressed in a simple tunic and pants. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, prosthetic glinting in the light. There was a cut through one of her eyebrows and a few minor scrapes and bruises, but she seemed largely ok.

“Now that we’re all here, we can get down to business,” Qrow said. It was obvious why they gathered in his room. He was propped up in bed by his pillows, his bare chest wrapped in pink-tinged bandages. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was even rougher than normal. After gathering everyone’s attention, he nodded to Ruby to take over the meeting and sank further into his bed.

“With the White Fang driven out of the city and their leaders captured or killed, Haven’s biggest problem is reconstructing from the rubble. Pyrrha and I met with the remaining council members, and while they’re more than grateful for everything we did, I didn’t get the impression that we should stick around longer than we have to, especially us foreigners,” Ruby said. Her words met nods of agreement from everyone.

“I want to get out of here as soon as I can. Stuffy castle life isn’t for me,” Nora said, wrinkling her nose.

“Obviously anyone who needs more time to recover and consider their next moves is more than welcome to stay in Haven under my invitation,” Pyrrha offered.

“That’s pretty much the only reason they haven’t put us out yet,” Ruby said. “Except for Qrow, we’re all mostly alright. I think we should seriously consider our next steps. This was obviously a big victory, but I personally don’t think my quest is complete. 

“The problems in our world are much bigger than an organization that’s lost its way. I swore to not let evil take root, but in my travels I’ve seen more than I ever wanted to. I cannot allow that to stand while I’m able to do something about it. And of course, I’d welcome any of you to fight with me anytime,” Ruby said breathlessly. Even she seemed taken aback at the passion in her speech as the weight of it settled over the room.

“I don’t know about the rest of you,” Yang said, speaking up for the first time. She pushed herself off the wall and walked over to Ruby. There was a slight limp in her step. “But I agree wholeheartedly. Wherever you go, I’ll go. Whenever you fight, I’ll fight. I fear this is far from over.” Ruby reached out to take her hand. She seemed to draw strength from her sister, standing up taller with her shoulders square.

“I’ll go too,” Nora said, slamming one fist into the other palm. “Kicking ass with you was fun.”

“Count me in, too,” Ren said.

Weiss stepped forward to take Ruby’s other hand. “Give me some time to recover and I’ll be right there with you.”

“Me too,” Qrow said. The attention of the room turned to Pyrrha, who hadn’t made a decision yet. Jaune looked to her as well, as if whatever he decided depended on her.

“I admire you all very much,” Pyrrha said hesitantly. Blake could hardly reconcile the bashful woman in front of her with the warrior who tore through Haven the night before. “But Mistral is my sworn priority. I’ll have to see if I am needed here before making any decisions.”

“That’s fine,” Ruby said. She looked directly at Blake, who shrank under her gaze. “What about you, Blake?” She tensed not liking the way they all looked at her. She did her best to ignore Yang’s intense lilac gaze.

This was a big decision to make only a short time after coming to consciousness. The core of Blake’s goals aligned perfectly with this group, and they’d proven themselves worth fighting beside. But from Ruby’s speech, Blake wasn’t sure their immediate goals were the same. And there was Yang’s unreadable stare to contend with. She had no idea where they stood after their fight with Adam, and she didn’t want to commit to this group thinking everything was fine between them only to discover Yang was still giving her the cold shoulder once they got on the road. Pyrrha’s reluctance gave her the strength to voice her own.

“I don’t think I can commit to you either,” she said. “A lot of things came to light on this quest. I think I know a way I can help make things better for a lot of people, but it wouldn’t be at your side.” Ruby smiled softly at her.

“We’re in this together. If it’s something we can help with, we can always just add it to the list,” she said. Blake murmured noncommittally. 

With all the bravado out of their systems, everyone slowly started to disperse to give Qrow some peace. Blake was one of the first to slip out of the room, feeling like the odd one out. She made it halfway down the hall before someone called her name. She paused, turning to find Yang jogging her way. 

“Hey,” Yang panted when she caught up with her.

“Hi,” Blake said. She braced her heart to go the way of her back, remembering their last conversation alone. This would be the final straw that shredded the last bit of her soul. Yang’s arms folded behind her back. She couldn’t meet Blake’s eye.

“I just wanted to say something before you disappear,” she said. Why did she have to keep dragging this out? “Just...thank you. For what you did during the battle. It was incredibly brave of you to buy us time.”

“O-of course,” Blake stuttered. This wasn’t at all where she was expecting this conversation to go. “I didn’t know you had a personal history with him.”

“You seemed to have one as well,” Yang said, finally meeting her gaze. Her face was as open as Blake had ever seen it. Something about that vulnerability gave her the courage to speak.

“He’s the reason I’m the way I am. A liar, on the run from the law of any good kingdom. All the reasons you hate me.” There was no malice in her voice, only defeat.

“Oh, Blake,” Yang stepped forward, taking her hands. The feel of her burned, but Blake couldn’t bring herself to draw away. “I could never hate you. I felt betrayed when your past came out, but I didn’t have a right to your secrets. I’m sorry for how I reacted.”

Blake took a shuddering breath. “Thank you.” She wished she could say more, but the words stuck in her throat.

“Yang! Uncle Qrow wants to talk to you!” Ruby called out, shattering any semblance of a moment they had. Yang looked over her shoulder regretfully.

“I should probably see what he wants,” she said, dropping Blake’s hands. Blake bit down on her regret. It never seemed to be the right time for them. It probably never would be.

* * *

Yang rode easily out of Haven’s gates. After spending so many months on end on horseback, she thought it would be torture to get back in the saddle after only a brief respite. But Bumblebee’s longing nicker when she went to collect him melted her heart, and the mood of the start of this journey was a far cry from the start of her last. 

She was at the back of several rows of riders. Ruby lead the way with Qrow at her side. He was determined to come along despite his horrific injuries. The doctor tending to him at Haven had a rough fight getting him to agree to at least leave off his armor for some time. He seemed lighter without it, if far too thin to be considered healthy.

Behind them were Jaune and Pyrrha. Yang was delighted to find them at the stables when they were setting out to leave. Pyrrha decided that their quest was serving the greater good and thus her kingdom. Mistral could survive without one knight. It likely wouldn’t if Salem set her sights on conquering it again.

Next were Ren and Nora, newly outfitted from their shabby outlander garb by a grateful Haven for their help defending their kingdom. Ren looked rather dashing out of his mottle green cloak, though Yang was sure it was tucked away in his bag somewhere. Nora opted to drape herself in as much color as possible, seemingly reveling in the opportunity to look like a court jester. Yang had giggled when she saw it, earning herself a reprimanding smack on the shoulder from Weiss.

Weiss herself was riding alongside Yang, bringing up the rear with her. She rode her own horse for once, obtained from Mistral’s council’s generosity, and was much happier with such an arrangement than riding double. She looked back over her shoulder as they crossed the bridge from the mountain city to the mainland, heading east.

“Blake decided not to come?” She asked. Yang clenched her jaw and stared through Bumblebee’s ears.

“No,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. “She left this morning. She decided to go south.” Weiss’ knuckles smacked against her arm.

“And you’re just going to let her go?” She asked shrilly. Yang shrugged, glad for Weiss’ sake that she left off her armor for the day’s journey.

“It’s not up to me where she decides she’s needed,” Yang said.

“Have you told her she’s needed with us?” Yang’s cheeks flared with heat. 

“Not exactly, but—”

“Then what the hell did you expect?!” Her volume was steadily increasing, and she reached a pitch that made everyone in front of them turn around to see what was going on. 

“I’m such an idiot,” Yang groaned.

“I’ll agree with you, but why?” Ruby called from the front of the line. Yang didn’t respond. She pressed one leg hard against Bumblebee’s side, wheeling him around to face south.

“Don’t worry about it,” Yang said. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit. Don’t wait up for me.” She dug her heels into Bumblebee’s sides. He leaped forward, carrying her away into the forest.

Yang bent low over Bumblebee’s neck, dodging branches that whipped down and tried to knock her down. She had no idea where her newfound confidence sprang from. All she knew was she had a hard ride ahead if she wanted to catch up with Blake.

* * *

The forest thinned into wide plains the further south Blake went. In the days leading up to her departure from Haven, she spent time pouring over their maps in order to recreate them on her own. While the one they relied on while she traveled with Yang served its purpose, the maps in the royal archive were of a far better and more accurate quality. It was a struggle to keep herself focused on the maps with so many rare and valuable books around her. If she snuck one or two copied scripts out with her, could she really be blamed? She could always leave her life of crime behind tomorrow.

She couldn’t bring herself to be upset about being on the road again. So much of her life was spent moving from one place to another that settling down for too long felt like a waste of time. There was too much to do, too much of the world to see to waste her life in a city, even one as great as Haven.

She tried not to let the fact that she was alone again sour her recent victories. Adam was gone. Unexpectedly, she had a new purpose in life. It was long past time she stepped forward and tried to amend the mistakes of the past. Arguing with the others about the spirit of the White Fang made her realize she could no longer stand idly by and let someone else do the fixing for her. And as for the solitude, at least she was used to it.

Her ear flicked toward a sound coming from behind her. It took a few moments to place the odd thrumming, but once she did her eyes flew open. She kicked her horse to the side of the road, spinning around to face the galloping hoofbeats that were rapidly getting louder. She drew her daggers, recovered and returned to her from when she lost them during the assault on Haven. She scanned the horizon, waiting for her first glimpse of her pursuer.

There! The silhouette of a rider crouched low over the neck of their horse. Blake lingered where she was, curiosity getting the better of her despite the plume of dust kicked up by the horse that obscured the rider. Her eyes widened when she was able to pick out the first detail of golden hair streaming out behind the rider.

“Blake!” Yang was finally close enough for Blake to hear her shouts. “Blake! Wait for me!” Blake made no move to urge her horse closer. She stayed where she was, stunned beyond belief as Yang galloped up to her. She skidded to a halt, nearly running into Blake and her mount.

“What are you doing here, Yang?” Blake asked incredulously. Yang ran a hand through her hair, swiping it out of her face. She was breathing heavily, coughing on dust as it billowed over them.

“What? You think I was just going to let you leave like that?” She panted. “We didn’t come as far as we did for nothing.” Blake’s heart was in her throat. Yang’s knee brushed against her own, sending shivers from where they touched. Her expression was so full of longing and regret Blake worried it would spill from her eyes in the form of tears.

Not having any words of her own, Blake leaned over. She grabbed the front of Yang’s tunic and pulled her into a kiss that she hoped would say everything she couldn’t. The angle was awkward from horseback and messier than she would have hoped. She kissed Yang with every bit of desperation she could muster, pulling away only when the need for air became too great. She couldn’t go far. Yang’s hand came up to grab her wrist, keeping her close. Blake opened her eyes to search her face, from half lidded eyes to flushed cheeks. 

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Yang said. She stood up in her stirrups and kissed Blake back. Her mouth opened, tongue sliding against Blake’s lower lip in a way that made her stomach tumble. They parted again, and Yang pressed their foreheads together to speak. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t say this outright but stay with me. Please?” Her breath was hot against Blake’s mouth, distracting her almost too much to take in her words. “You’re the most important person I’ve ever met. Kings, princesses, knights. No one else compares to you.” 

“Speak for yourself,” Blake said. The closeness was nearly unbearable, and she had to force her mouth to cooperate to form words when all she wanted was to kiss Yang again. “I thought no one would be able to love me again after what I’ve been through.” Yang drew away then, and cold air rushed into the space she left. Her grin was the only thing that kept Blake’s heart beating

“Oh, so you think I love you?” She loosened her grip on Blake’s wrist to lace their fingers together. Blake’s face burned.

“Uh, you know, I really meant—” Yang cut her off by pressing their lips together again. 

“It’s ok. Because I do,” she breathed. Tears spilled from the corners of Blake’s eyes as she brought their joined hands up to kiss the backs of Yang’s knuckles.

“I love you too.”


End file.
